R.R. Branstrom/Daily Press Officers form a perimeter at entrances to Escanaba Junior/Senior High School parking lots Thursday in response to a reported threat.

ESCANABA — Escanaba Schools went into lockdown Thursday on a report that someone may have been outside the Escanaba Junior/Senior High School with a gun. No one was injured in the threat and the lockdown was lifted later in the day. Escanaba Public Safety later said they’d found the person thought responsible for making the threat.

At about 11:15 a.m., a student at the school received a text message that she immediately reported to administrators, who promptly contacted the police and put the junior/senior high school on lockdown.

“The threat came from what appeared to be a local number, and the person making the threat stated that they were outside the Junior/Senior High School building with a gun,” stated a news release from Escanaba Area Schools sent later that afternoon. In response to the threat, officers from multiple jurisdictions “immediately initiated a coordinated law enforcement response,” according to Escanaba Public Safety. Assisting was the Delta County Sheriff’s Department, Michigan State Police Gladstone Post, Upper Peninsula Substance Enforcement Team (UPSET), Gladstone Public Safety, Menominee County Sheriff’s Department and Delta County Central Dispatch.

Officers “thoroughly searched the school, including classrooms,” Superintendent Coby Fletcher wrote in the news release, after stating that the district was “committed to maintaining a secure environment” and follows “well-established procedures designed to maximize safety.”

Meanwhile, other schools in the Escanaba district in addition to Holy Name, Gladstone Area Schools and Bay College also locked down as a precaution. With the community on high alert, reports came in of multiple “suspicious” people with backpacks at a few places in town. “At approximately 1 p.m., officers were able to locate and identify the individual(s) responsible for making the threat. The investigation is ongoing and authorities continue to gather information related to the incident at this time,” read a news release from Escanaba Public Safety sent Thursday evening.

After determining there was no immediate threat to the local schools, the lockdown was gradually lifted. When classes resumed, outer doors were kept locked. Parents who showed up to collect their children were not allowed to do so en masse but in groups of five. “Out of an abundance of caution, schools were asked to remain in secure mode until 1:30 p.m. before resuming normal operations,” the Escanaba district’s release states.

Both police and the school credited the student who had received the text for coming forward. “Law enforcement agencies have commended the swift actions and safety measures taken by school staff throughout the county to ensure the safety of students while the situation was being investigated,” Escanaba Public Safety stated in its news release. “The professionalism and preparedness demonstrated by school personnel were crucial in maintaining a safe environment for students and staff during this time of uncertainty.”

An active shooter drill had taken place at the school just two weeks earlier. School social workers were on site and students are reminded they always have someone they can talk to at school. “Trained staff are available in each building to help students deal with fear and anxiety that can result when emergencies happen,” Fletcher wrote. “If there is a need for mental or emotional support, please reach out to a school administrator or counselor who will arrange for immediate assistance.”