NORFOLK, Va. — The Norfolk Police Department said a lockdown at Granby High School was lifted and all students were dismissed for the day. Tuesday afternoon, the police department added that a juvenile was arrested.
The lockdown began around 10:45 a.m. on March 15 following reports of a person with a weapon at the school.
In an evening statement from the school division, a Norfolk Public Schools spokesperson said police were looking into "an incident involving a possible weapon that was allegedly observed in a nearby apartment complex."
During the day, parents informed 13News Now they saw five male students walk out of the school in handcuffs.
Police said no injuries were reported.
Investigators said one juvenile was taken into custody. 13News Now does not yet know specifically why. Police have not said what that child was charged with.
Moreover, the evening statement from Norfolk Public Schools said no weapons were found at Granby High School during the search.
Parents said their children called them during the lockdown from inside the school.
"It’s nothing like hearing it directly from your children: 'Mommy, I’m okay.' And I’m just glad to put my hands on both of my sons," said parent Beck G.
Rob Cortazar and others are demanding answers from Norfolk school leaders and police.
“Hopefully, it gets taken care of and I’m not going let them go to school for the rest of the week until they get more security. I don’t know why they don’t use the security system when they walk in," Cortazar said.
When asked about metal detectors, the NPS spokesperson responded to 13News Now writing the high schools have one to two metal detectors each "used primarily for random inspections and for athletic events."
The spokesperson could not say whether students would go through metal detectors on Wednesday.
“I’m happy I have my sons," added Beck G. "Once I know the details, I can figure out whether or not I’m happy about how they handled it."
Crisis counselors and additional school division staff will be at Granby High School on Wednesday, according to a Norfolk Public Schools spokesperson.
13News Now also reached out to Norfolk Police Department, to see whether they will send more officers to the school Wednesday. We are waiting to hear back.
View the full statement from Norfolk Public Schools, regarding the lockdown:
Granby High School went into lockdown this morning under the advisement of the Norfolk Police Department, who had been called to investigate an incident involving a possible weapon that was allegedly observed in a nearby apartment complex. School administration immediately enacted safety and security protocols. All within Granby High School remained in lockdown as police conducted their investigation.
No weapon was found in the school, and no one was hurt. We are grateful to our staff and students for their quick actions, and to our partners with the Norfolk Police Department for their quick response. Crisis counselors and additional staff will be on duty at Granby High School on Wednesday. We thank our entire school community for their caring and concern.