Tecumseh dismisses early, cancels pep rally after report of weapon in school

A report by students at Tecumseh High School caused the district to cancel its pep rally Friday and release students early.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office responded to the New Carlisle school at around 12 p.m. Clark County Sheriff Deb Burchett said the school received a threat.

“(Deputies) were investigating a possible weapon in the school. Nothing was found. But the pep rally has been canceled,” she said.

>> Miamisburg Boil Advisory still in effect after water main break restored

Tecumseh sent an alert to parents at around that time telling them that the school had gone into lockdown.

“The Clark County Sheriff’s Office is assisting the TLS administration with an investigation concerning a possible safety allegation at Tecumseh High School,” the message read.

The students were released from school at around 1:30 p.m. Tecumseh Superintendent Paula Crew said the safety of their students is a top priority.

>> Springfield politicians react to governor's gun proposals

“We had a group of students come to the office and report that a student had a weapon and intended to use that,” Crew said. “We took that extremely seriously and we needed to investigate that.”

She said the district decided to close school early because many didn’t feel comfortable finishing the day.

Amy Issac, a parent at the Tecumseh Local Schools, said the school lockdown scared her and as a mother felt she needed to be close to the school.

“You want to be there so you can get your kid and get out of there,” Issac said.

The alert also prompted deputies to go to Shawnee High School. Burchett said a threat was sent to the district about a month ago.

No Clark County students were ever in danger during the sheriff’s investigation, Burchett said.