Lockdowns lifted at Bristol Township schools after report of student with weapon deemed not credible

A report of a student with a weapon prompted schools in Bristol Township to go into lockdown Thursday morning.

Bristol Township police said in a news release that police dispatch received a third-party report of a juvenile with a gun boarding a Bristol Township school bus heading to Armstrong Middle School. The bus was coming from the Indian Creek section of the township about 7:50 a.m.

Kellie Dietrich, a Bristol Township School District spokeswoman, said Neil A. Armstrong Middle School and Franklin D. Roosevelt Middle School went into lockdown for a report of a student with a weapon. The Bucks County Technical School, down the street from Armstrong, also held students in classrooms during the scare.

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Franklin D. Roosevelt Middle School only went into lockdown briefly because the bus the student was believed to be on was incorrectly identified, Dietrich said.

Following a detailed police investigation, it was determined that the student believed to be carrying a weapon was not. He had a black video game controller, according to the district. All students were safe and and lockdown were lifted, the district said about 9:30 a.m.

There was no threat to the students at the middle school.

The incident comes following a shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where an 18-year-old man entered an elementary school and killed 19 students and two teachers. It was the deadliest school shooting in Texas history.

The timing of the threat in Bristol Township, days after the Texas shooting, had parents and community members shaken. Many parents picked up their children from Armstrong once the incident was cleared as some students were upset by the incident.

On Wednesday, some Bucks and Montgomery county school districts said there would be increased police presence at schools as a precaution.

District officials reminded families of various different resources, including Safe2Say, an application that students can use to anonymously submit reports of unsafe activities or threats. Officials also offered condolences and counseling for students who may need it.

Some districts also spoke of ALICE, which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate, a widely accepted procedure that students can follow in an active shooter situation.

Northampton, Lower Southampton and Tullytown police had an increase presence at schools in their areas Wednesday.