Emmaus High School reopened Nov. 2 with an increased police presence and guidance counselors and administrators available to talk to students about recent events at the school.

On the morning of Oct. 29, one box of .22 caliber ammunition was spilled on a hallway floor in the Emmaus High School.

Superintendent Dr. Michael Schilder said students and staff were locked down while police and administration officials interviewed students who might have been able to provide information as to who brought the ammunition to school.

Interviews were conducted throughout the day with no arrests. Students at the high school were dismissed 11:15 a.m. Oct. 29.

“The building was thoroughly searched – no weapons, additional ammunition or contraband of any type was found,” Schilder said.

Schilder said the predominate rumor during the day was this incident was linked to another incident last week where a student allegedly made a threatening comment about attacking the school. Police and administration concluded there was no link as the student had already been removed from school.

At 2:30 p.m. Oct. 29, police and administration determined it was safe for school to reopen Oct. 30.

Late Thursday night, police informed the district new leads had been found and additional students who may have knowledge of the incident needed to be interviewed. In addition, many rumors were circulating in the community, including one regarding a potential shooting at EHS Oct. 30.

“While the rumors were unsubstantiated, the decision was made to cancel school and all evening activities at EHS on Friday as a precautionary measure,” Schilder said on the district website.

“In order to give police the entire weekend for investigation and to dispel rumors, the decision was made to move all Saturday home sports events to Whitehall Coplay School District.”

Police conducted a full investigation over the weekend. No arrests were made. All leads to rumors were pursued and to date, none of the rumors have been proven to be credible.

“The determination by police and administration is that EHS is safe to re-open on Monday, November 2,” Schilder said.

“If and when new information comes to our attention, I will update the community to the extent permissible. Our decisions, in conjunction with local and county law enforcement, will be based on the most credible information available with the primary goal of establishing a safe school environment. Thank you for your patience, understanding and trust.”