SEBRING - As of 2 p.m., Sebring Middle School opened its parking lot gates after someone alleged there was a weapon on campus, even though investigators determined there was no weapon, according to a memo from Principal Sandi Whidden. No weapon was found.
At 10 a.m., the school administrators became aware of the accusation, causing the school to get police officers on campus.
The lockdown disrupted the school's lunch periods and, according to one parent, kept them from entering the school.
"We came here to have lunch," said Ray Mitchell, whose daughter is a seventh grader at the school. He arrived to find the gate to the parking lot closed, and a custodian near the gate told him he couldn't let anybody in or out.
When the lockdown ended, students ate lunch in their classrooms.
A few parents were seen taking their children off the school property, some heading home for the day. One student who was going home with his father said he was in the gymnasium for a couple of hours during the lockdown, but he said he was not sure why.

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