Parents wait to pick up students from Lawrence High School, which is locked down due to a threat. (Chris Fama/WBZ NewsRadio)
LAWRENCE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Amid a major gas leak that has forced hundreds of Lawrence residents to evacuate their homes, Lawrence High School is on lockdown due to an anonymous shooting threat.
Lawrence Police told WBZ NewsRadio they became aware of the threat, which was "airdropped" to some students' phones, around 8:30 Friday morning.
Police said they are taking the threat seriously. The school was placed on lockdown, and a "controlled early dismissal" began around 10:30 a.m.
Students were being taken by bus to a local Boys And Girls Club.
Hundreds of worried parents were gathered outside the school as there children were locked down inside.
Massachusetts State Police said they had troopers on the scene, along with a bomb squad and K-9 units. The Lawrence Fire Department also responded.
Officers were still searching inside the school, but police told parents the situation is under control.
"The safety of the Lawrence Public Schools is always a paramount concern for both the Lawrence Police and the Lawrence School Department," Lawrence Police wrote in a Facebook post.
WBZ NewsRadio's Mike Macklin reports
Follow WBZ NewsRadio: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iHeartmedia App