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Threat On App Forces Lock Down At East Bridgewater School

EAST BRIDGEWATER (CBS) -- A threat submitted through a cell phone app put the East Bridgewater Junior/Senior High School in lock down Thursday morning. The app 'STOPit' allows people to anonymously send messages that school administrators can see. The purpose of the app is to keep students safe.

"The threatening message that referred to the Columbine tragedy," East Bridgewater schools superintendent Elizabeth Legault said.

That word sent the children in East Bridgewater High School and Middle School into lock down for two hours.

"We went through the entire school, not only all of lockers, buildings, hallways, classrooms, but we went through each of the classrooms with students, searched bags," police chief Scott Allen said.

Chief Scott Allen and Superintendent Elizabeth Legault
Chief Scott Allen and Superintendent Elizabeth Legault (WBZ-TV)

When the lock down was lifted, many parents came to get their kids.

These days, even an anonymous threat is taken seriously.

"Obviously there is school shootings, frequently now, but I never really thought about it happening in this area," student Mick Benyue said.

The App 'STOPit', is used to identify bullying, but Thursday, somebody used the app to bully the entire school.

East Bridgewater Police
East Bridgewater Police (WBZ-TV)

"This is a day and age where everything is credible, and unfortunately we have people say things that are not credible, but we are still going to investigate them," Legault said.

Some students at the school are fed up with it all.

"Kids tend to joke about this stuff, and I find it sickening, personally," student Katie Lawler said.

Police are still trying to figure out who the person was that sent the school into a lock down.

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