Orange HS has delayed opening Thursday following threat Wednesday evening

Orange High School and Orange Preparatory Academy of Inquiry and Innovation were both locked down for more than two hours.

Matt Trapani and Chris Keating

Apr 13, 2023, 5:43 PM

Updated 600 days ago

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A threat leveled at Orange High School Wednesday evening put the district on high alert and led to lockdowns at two schools.
Orange High School and Orange Preparatory Academy of Inquiry and Innovation were both locked down for more than two hours. Officials say that some sort of threat was called in around 5:30 p.m. Additional details were not provided.
Video shared with News 12 New Jersey shows students inside Orange High School pushed up against walls while heavily armed police officers walked by in tactical gear. The students were previously in night class sessions, along with a volleyball game.
Video recorded outside of the school also shows a janitor who was overwhelmed by the situation being carried outside.
Despite some online rumors, officials say that there was not any gunfire inside of the school.
The school had a delayed opening until 10 a.m. Thursday as a precaution. A student who wished to remain anonymous told News 12 that he and many other students were afraid to come to school.
“You would see maybe five kids per class. No one was coming in,” the student said. “Personally, I was unnerved. I’m not going to say I was scared. It’s horrible it’s becoming normalized around the country now.”
In a letter to parents, Superintendent Gerald Fitzhugh wrote, “The lockdown lasted for over two hours to ensure that a thorough walk-through of both facilities was conducted with precision."
The superintendent went on to say, "Considering recent school shootings and threats across the nation, the district and local authorities take each incident as a priority."
A similar incident occurred at Monmouth University last month. Students were evacuated and SWAT teams searched the campus after someone mistook a curling iron for a gun.
The Orange superintendent went on to tell parents that it is important to talk with children and offer them a chance to share their concerns.
News 12 reached out to the Orange Police Department to find out more about the incident but was referred to the mayor’s office. News 12 is waiting to hear back.