A student’s quick report, backed up by a parent, sent Parkway Middle School in Lauderhill into lockdown Monday morning after a possible weapon was spotted on campus during first period.
Students later told reporters the object looked like a BB gun. School security staff and the school resource officer moved in, confiscated the item, and no one was hurt. Police then swept the building, and classes resumed once administrators and officers finished their checks.
What exactly set off the lockdown depends on who you ask. The district described a tip that led to a “potentially dangerous discovery,” while officers suggested the campus alert itself may have been triggered by accident, according to Local10. Interim Principal Ackimo Charles publicly praised the student and parent who spoke up and said the “see something, say something” message worked as intended in this case, the station reported.
School Response
Parkway Middle’s website lays out its emergency procedures and directs families to the district’s reporting tools. Staff said that as soon as the tip came in, they alerted the school resource officer and campus security, who quickly secured and removed the item. The school’s homepage also highlights Broward County Public Schools’ resources for safety and anonymous tips, in line with the district’s guidance.
Context In South Florida
This is not an isolated scare. Lockdowns over reported weapons, including hoaxes and realistic-looking toys such as BB guns, have shaken South Florida campuses this spring and drawn heavy police responses and anxious parents, as NBC 6 South Florida reported after a series of hoax threats earlier this month.
Broward County Public Schools maintains a “See Something, Say Something” portal and anonymous-tip tools on its website to encourage fast reporting and quicker responses during emergencies, according to the district’s site.
Officials said the Parkway lockdown was lifted once police cleared the campus, the weapon was seized, and it was clear there were no injuries. Normal operations resumed, and school leaders thanked the family who reported the concern while urging the wider community to keep using the district’s tip lines whenever they spot troubling behavior, according to Local10.
