Town police have enlisted the aid of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in their investigation into a threat made against Newtown High School on Tuesday, November 11.

Although it was Veterans Day, town schools were in session and a holiday commemoration program was underway in the school auditorium when it was learned that the threat had been made.

The threat was received on the high school’s Facebook page, a popular social media site on the Internet.

The threat reportedly was made from out of state and made reference to a gun and to shooting.

After the threat was discovered, at about 1:10 pm the school entered the security state known as “lock-in closed teaching and learning environment.”

During such situations, visitors are not allowed on school grounds and all people in the school remain inside the building. The lock-in status was lifted at 1:55 pm.

Police and school security officials stood guard at the main entrance driveway to the school during the situation, prohibiting visitors from entering the premises.

In a statement on the incident, Police Chief Michael Kehoe said, in part, that the lock-in was put in place to ensure the safety of students, staff, and visitors at the school.

“The students were released for regular dismissal without incident after an initial investigation turned up no credible immediate threat or danger,” Chief Kehoe said in the brief statement.

NHS School Resource Officer Liam Seabrook reported the threat to police headquarters at 12:59 pm. Seven town police were involved in the investigation at the school and adjacent areas.

Police said that someone using some electronic device posted a threatening message on the social media site, but the police did not provide details on the threat.  

On the night of November 11 at the high school auditorium, Superintendent of Schools Joseph Erardi, Jr, NHS Principal Lorrie Rodrigue, and Chief Kehoe had a question-and-answer session on the incident with parents and residents. (See separate story.)

Lock-in mode is among the security measures which school and law enforcement officials have created in response to 12/14.

On October 22, Middle Gate School on Cold Spring Road entered lock-in mode after an unidentified man was seen on the school grounds. The man’s presence later was learned to be harmless.

On October 1, Sandy Hook Elementary School in Monroe entered lock-in mode following a bomb threat there. No bomb was found. Law enforcement agencies are continuing their investigation into that incident which resulted in an early dismissal for students after the building was evacuated.