Duval County Public Schools says “all students and staff are safe,” but were on lockdown Wednesday as a precaution due to the sound of gunshots heard in the area.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Update: The lockdown for the three schools has been lifted, according to Duval County Public Schools. DCPS says Biltmore Elementary School was also on lockdown.
Three Jacksonville schools were on a “Code Red” lockdown Wednesday afternoon as a precaution due to the sound of gunshots that were heard in the area, according to Duval County Public Schools.
DCPS said Paxon School for Advanced Studies, James Weldon Johnson College Preparatory Middle School and Palm Avenue Exceptional Student Center all had the lockdown enforced. The school district further stated in a message to families of students at the schools that “all students and staff are safe.”
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said officers were dispatched to a report of an individual shot, but did not release information on who the individual is nor where they were shot. The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department told First Coast News that it did not transport anyone from the incident JSO responded to.
“We remind you that while a school is on a lockdown, no one is allowed to enter or leave the campus,” DCPS said in the message. “We will follow up with you once the situation is clear. Thank you and stand by for more information.”
Here’s the full message DCPS sent to families of students at the schools:
“Hello, This is Duval County Public Schools with a message for families at Paxon, James Weldon Johnson, and Palm Avenue Exceptional Student Center families. These schools are on a Code Red lockdown as a precaution due to reports of the sounds of gun shots in the neighborhood. All students and staff are safe. Repeating, Paxon, James Weldon Johnson, and Palm Avenue Exceptional Student Center are all on a Code Red lockdown due to reports of the sounds of gun shots in the area. We remind you that while a school is on a lockdown, no one is allowed to enter or leave the campus. We will follow up with you once the situation is clear. Thank you and stand by for more information.”
First Coast News will provide updates when they are made available.
