In West Palm Beach, a lockdown was initiated at Oxbridge Academy after a suspicious person was spotted near the school's premises. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office swiftly responded to the noon incident yesterday, facilitating the lockdown as a safety precaution, as reported by WFLX. With an understandable surge of concern from parents and the community alike, authorities conducted a thorough investigation but eventually found no credible threat.
By 1:10 p.m., the lockdown had been lifted, marking the end of a tense period for families and unsettling interruption at 3151 North Military Trail. In order to ensure emotional reunion scenes were not marked by confusion, deputies at the scene of the lockdown in the process of being lifted, stayed on-site to facilitate the reunification of students with their families, an option offered to those who chose to remove their children from school early for the day, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office confirmed.
"Oxbridge Academy initiated a Code Red alert on its campus earlier today. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office responded immediately and determined that this was a false alarm," said Scott Siegfried, Director of Advancement at Oxbridge Academy, reassuring the community in a statement obtained by WPBF. Siegfried continued to express his gratitude, "Our faculty and staff quickly implemented our lockdown procedures. The campus is safe and secure, and students were dismissed for the day. We are grateful to our faculty and staff for their quick actions in leading our campus through our lockdown procedures and for the immediate response from the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office. The safety and security of our students, staff and faculty are our top priority.”
The school day ended prematurely. Without finding any threat, the academy's gates were closed, ushering in an early start to the weekend for the students. Meanwhile, law enforcement remained vigilant.
