Slinger Middle School locked down after a student said they had a gun

Slinger schools were put on lockdown Friday after a student in the middle school hallway said that they had a gun.

Law enforcement searched the school, which is located about 30 miles northwest of Milwaukee, and did not find any weapons.

Parents were sent to a nearby bowling alley, Kettle Moraine Bowl, and then escorted to the school to pick up their kids. The lockdown ended at 1:50 p.m., and students were allowed to go home with their families or take the bus home.

In a report and threat assessment for schools trying to identify possible shooters that the FBI compiled after the 1999 Columbine shooting, the agency noted that threats increase in schools around the country after a shooting has occurred anywhere in the U.S.

In November and December, for example, the Green Bay school district saw a number of threats called in, which school officials said they suspected were a response to the school shooting in Oxford, Michigan that left three dead and eight wounded. Two students faced charges for those threats.

Under a 2015 law, threats against schools are considered terrorist threats, and carry felony charges and a maximum penalty of 3.5 years in prison and fines up to $10,000. Schools often also impose their own punishments against students who make threats, including suspension or expulsion.