After a brief investigation, the all clear if given, police say.
Phillipsburg School District buildings went into a shelter-in-place status for a short time Friday morning after a report of a clown-related threat to the middle school, town police and the mayor report.
Mayor Stephen Ellis said a construction worker at the middle school had heard of a post spreading around social media that a clown with a gun would come to the school. The construction worker told a teacher, who went to security, Ellis said. It was not clear if the online posting specifically mentioned the school.
The incident was investigated and "no credible threat was determined," police Capt. Robert Stettner said in a news release. So the shelter in place was lifted at all the schools, including those outside town borders, he said.
"At this time we would like to thank all students and parents for their cooperation," Stettner wrote.
The middle school is in the old high school at 200 Hillcrest Blvd.
Superintendent George Chando said the information was initially developed by the school district and passed on to town police.
As to the nature of the suspicious activity, Chando said he would have to defer to police, who did not go into detail.
Doors are always locked at district schools so a shelter in place basically means students and staff don't move around a school until the threat is resolved. Chando wouldn'ty go into more detail on the status because of security protocols, he said.
Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.