Nichols School in Buffalo On Lockdown

One of the most exclusive private schools in Western New York was placed on lockdown by the Buffalo Police Department after there was an apparent active shooter situation that was called into the Ferry-Fillmore Buffalo Police district house earlier in the morning.

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Nichols School, a private school that serves grades 5 through 12, located in North Buffalo near the corner of Colvin Ave and Amherst Street was locked down for several hours this morning as multiple police departments responded to a telephone threat in which the person said they had guns and bombs while talking directly to police officials.

Police officials sent a call for any available officers to respond to Nichols and officers from the NFTA Police, Buffalo Police Department, and US Homeland Security were on campus as investigators searched the entire school for any potential threats that may exist. There were several police vehicles on site, along with k-9 units and the bomb squad.

The lockdown occurred right after students arrived at the school around 8:00 am on Friday, February 24, 2023. Other schools in the area have been on winter break, but Nichols has had active classes for most of this week. I was personally on the school grounds this morning after I dropped my son off at school and found myself right in the middle of all the action.

I was able to speak with both officers from the Buffalo Police Department and Homeland Security and they are able to report that no active threat was found on campus. The lockdown was lifted after a little more than 2-hour investigation. Officials have also said that this appears to have been part of a series of hoaxes that impacted schools all across New York and the nation. Schools in Batavia and Binghamton also received similar threats.

After speaking with school officials, students were able to return to classes. Several parents were on the campus to find out what happened, and some took their kids home after the events of today.

This morning, the Buffalo Police received a threat to the Nichols School and immediately came to campus and initiated a lockdown... They canvased the campus and buildings with personnel and K9 units, all of which have been cleared. Our safety protocols worked as intended, and the lockdown has been lifted.
-Nichols School

Luckily everyone is ok and safe.

Police officials said they are going to maintain a presence on campus and nearby the school for the remainder of the day as a precautionary measure.