Possible gun threat prompted large law enforcement investigation at Ceres School, district says

CERES – Law enforcement officers swarmed a school in Central California late Monday morning due to reports of a possible gun threat, officials say.

The Ceres Unified School District said in a statement that they were alerted by Ceres police about a possible threat against Cesar Chavez Junior High School. That school, along with neighboring La Rosa Elementary, went on a precautionary lockdown.

Officers swarmed the school and began searching. Deputies with the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office helped in the investigation.

No evidence of a threat was found, Ceres Unified officials said; all students and staff were safe.

"Any threat against a school community is treated with the utmost seriousness," the district said in a statement.

Many concerned parents congregated outside the school, waiting for updates about the situation.

It's unclear who was behind the initial report of a threat.

Ceres is a Central Valley city just south of Modesto and about 80 miles south of Sacramento.