UPDATE (10:10 a.m.): The bomb threat at Southern Lee is not credible, and all students are safe, the district said in a statement.

“The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has determined there is no threat to the safety of students and staff at Southern Lee High School after an anonymous phone call was made to the school earlier this morning. Students and staff are returning to classrooms and resuming a normal school schedule. SanLee Middle School has also returned to a normal schedule.”

UPDATE (9:55 a.m.): Southern Lee High Schools is now on lockdown, according to a statement from the Lee County Schools Central Office.

As of 9:45 a.m., several parents could be seen trying to gain access to the campus, which was blocked by a sheriff’s deputy and vehicle.

“Southern Lee High School has received a call this morning that indicated a bomb threat to the school. Students and staff are being moved to a secure location according to the school’s safety plan. Law enforcement is investigating. Until the situation can be assessed, parents are asked not to come to the high school.”

 

ORIGINAL STORY: Lee County High School closed its doors today because of an “anonymous threat” made to the school “late last night,” according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. The announcement comes just a day after the school went on a hard lockdown after the threat of a weapon on campus was made.

According to Sheriff Brian Estes, his office and Sanford Police Department “swiftly responded and conducted a search of the campus without incident.” The school’s closure on Wednesday was announced via a recorded voicemail message to parents and said the decision was made at the recommendation of the sheriff’s office.

“We take the safety of the students and staff very seriously and will continue to be vigilant to protect our schools and children.”

The decision comes just two days after three 9-year-old children and three adults were killed a private elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday. There have been 376 school shootings in the United States since Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999 — 17 so far in 2023, with eight deaths and 13 injuries.