lockdown continued

well since its so much easier to copy and paste here are 4 articles;

HIGHLAND PARK: Highland Park High School was placed on lockdown about 2:30 p.m. today.No details were available on the reason for the action but police sped to the scene and the school remained sealed off at 3:30 p.m.Five borough police cars were at the scene and ambulances were seen circling the property as anxious parents waited for news outside. The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office also was reportedly called to the scene.A football game was underway between Highland Park and Roselle Park at the football field behind the North Fifth Avenue school.The game was allowed to finish … Highland Park won … and students in the bleachers were told not to return to school. They were told the school was on lockdown and to leave the property.Some milled about outside waiting for word on siblings who remained inside.
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HIGHLAND PARK — Police locked down the shared high school and middle school building in the borough for more than an hour Thursday, responding to a threat that turned out to be nothing.
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"If you have a rumor there's a problem, you stop and shut it down," said Mayor Meryl Frank, whose sixth-grade and eighth-grade daughters were inside the building. "This is how the protocol works. They need to be careful."
Police responded to a report of suspicious activity made to a passing police officer at 2:23 p.m, according to police.
"Proper notifications were made, and proper policies were followed," said Highland Park Lt. Joe Vasallo. "The matter is still under investigation."
Students watching the football game against Roselle Park at 1 p.m. said school officials told them they couldn't leave after the regular dismissal time at 2:40 p.m. Some students heard rumors that someone in the high school had a gun.
Inside the school, teachers huddled with their students inside classrooms.
"The teacher said to hurry up and get in class — someone has got a gun," said Jahkiera Hill, a 16-year-old sophomore. "We were just sitting under a desk and talking. I was praying."
Arleen Lara, an 11-year-old sixth-grader, said everybody went running to the classroom and hid in the corner. She said her teacher covered the door's window with black construction paper.
"I got scared," Arleen said. "We were whispering, asking questions. And then we started doing homework."
By 4 p.m., police had completed searching the building and let the remaining children leave.
"To tell you the truth, I was about to hop out the window," Hill said.
Outside the building earlier, students and parents struggled to determine what might be happening inside. Some shared limited information using cell phones. Many students walked freely on the lawn in front of the school or sat on benches or stairs close to the front doors.
Emma Safir, a 17-year-old senior, called home and worried about her 11-year-old sister who was locked inside with the other sixth-graders.
"I don't want to call her," Safir said. "If there's a lockdown drill, I don't want to make noise and put her in danger."
Tears welled in Safir's eyes as she held a hand to her neck and a friend placed his hand on her shoulder.
Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan stood outside the high school at 3:45 p.m. His office had been notified as part of what he said was standard procedure. He said he came to pick up his two children, a senior and a sixth-grader.
Sharon Krengel, the Board of Education president, came to pick up her eighth-grade son. She praised the police, school staff and students for following the emergency plan.
"Everybody's been practicing a lot," Krengel said. "It's better to be safe than sorry."

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'Suspicious activity' in Highland Park school lockdown
by Sue Epstein
Thursday September 20, 2007, 6:16 PM
Jerry McCrea/The Star-Ledger

Highland Police direct spectators who came to the high school football game away from the area of the high school during a suspected intruder incident and lock-down at Highland Park High School.
A report of "suspicious activity" on the grounds of Highland Park High School this afternoon led school officials to order the middle school students - who share the building with the high school kids - locked down inside, police said.
Highland Park Police said the activity was reported at 2:23 p.m. Police swept the building on North Fifth Avenue, but nothing was found. Authorities would not reveal what the suspicious activity was or what they were looking for in the building.
The middle school students remained in their locked, darkened classrooms, crouched under their desks, for an hour and 15 minutes. Meanwhile, the high school students were attending the school football game at the adjacent stadium and were not permitted to leave the bleachers, students said. When they could leave, they were ordered to leave school grounds.
The middle school - grades 7 and 8 - and the high school - grades 9 through 12 - are in the same building in the Middlesex County borough. The students were released about 4 p.m.
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and now this is why the whole thing happend in the first place;

An East Brunswick man who reported seeing a gunman walking to the Highland Park High School now faces charges for fabricating the story that lead to a lock-down at the school Thursday in what authorities say was an isolated incident.
Matthew Shumaker, 19, was arrested at police headquarters today and charged with making a false report to police and causing a false public alarm.
Shortly before 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Shumaker flagged down police Detective Derek Wenskoski on Denison Street and said he saw a man with a handgun walking toward the high school on North Fifth Street, a block away, police Lt. Joseph Vassallo said.
Police quickly notified school officials, who ordered the lock-down at the high school and middle school, which are in the same building.
Most high school students were at the varsity football game, but the middle school pupils were in class and remained there until officers searched the building and determined it was safe about 3:50 p.m.
Police subsequently determined Shumaker made a false report, Vassallo said. Shumaker was released pending a court hearing.