Central was put into a lockdown at approximately 9:47 a.m. on Thursday, May 12, because of a report that a student had a gun in the building. The all-clear was given at around 10:05 a.m. after the student was isolated and detained. There were no weapons found on the student.

UPDATE: The following email was sent to Central High staff and parents shortly after the lockdown ended:

Dear Central High  Staff and Families:    

We wanted to inform you of a situation that occurred today. At approximately 9:50 a.m., Central High was placed into lockdown due to reports of a student with a weapon on campus. We immediately contacted local law enforcement to investigate.  

Police located the student and no weapon was found. The lockdown lasted for approximately 10 minutes. During a lockdown, all classroom doors are locked, lights are turned off and students are out of sight of any corridor windows. 

We continue to work with District Safety and our law enforcement partners to investigate the incident. 

All students and staff are safe. This message is being shared to ensure open communication with our families.  We emphasize that the safety of students, staff and visitors is our top priority.  All schools in our district regularly practice safety drills, including lockout procedures.  

If you have questions or concerns, please call the school at (531) 299-2660.    

Thank you for your continued support of Central High and Omaha Public Schools.      

Sincerely,    

Dionne Kirksey 
Principal