Kathleen High School was on a heightened state of alert Friday morning after receiving a report of a potential threat .
The Polk County school district sent an automated phone and email message to parents of students at the school explaining that law enforcement was searching students entering campus Friday morning, causing a backup of traffic near campus and buses to be delayed.
“Law enforcement received a report of a potential threat in the area,” the school district said. “A weapon was stolen from a vehicle in North Lakeland, and investigators wanted to make sure anyone entering the campus did not have it.”
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Polk County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Meghan Petty confirmed the brief lockdown.
“LPD had a burglary reported nearby the school in which a gun and some AirPods were stolen,” she said via email Friday. “We locked the school down as a precaution, because of the proximity. We searched the buses as a precaution and no gun was found. The school is back off lockdown.”