Long Beach High School threat believed to be a hoax, schools superintendent says

A threat made against Long Beach High School, which prompted a districtwide "lockout" Thursday, is believed to be a hoax, schools Superintendent Jennifer Gallagher said.

Gallagher, in a message to parents Thursday afternoon, said law enforcement informed the district that they had received a 911 call from a California phone number, with the person identifying themselves by the "same name as an alumnus of the high school." Police determined the caller was not the alumnus and were working to identify the caller, she wrote.

Nassau police said a caller had reported threatening the high school with an AR-15 style gun. Police said they found the threat to be not credible.

A Nassau police spokesman said earlier in the day the lockout was done "out of an abundance of caution."

The 911 call initially prompted a "lockdown" at the high school, which "puts everyone in a hold in place, and no one enters or exits the building," Gallagher said. All other district schools were placed in "lockout," meaning school activities continue as usual but no one is allowed to enter the buildings, she said.

"The police were then able to assure the security of the high school building, going room to room with the high school administration and determining that everyone inside the high school was safe," Gallagher wrote.

At noon, the lockout was lifted for the elementary and middle schools and the high school moved to a "modified lockout," with limited traffic allowed in and out of the building, according to district officials. That lockout was lifted at dismissal but Gallagher said after-school activities at the high school, and outside field activities at all schools, were canceled.

"We felt that our students and staff would feel more comfortable going home after such a stressful day," Gallagher said.