At about 10:45 a.m., Opelika school resource officers were notified of a possible external threat at OHS, authorities said. School officials immediately imposed a lockdown at the school to ensure the safety of all students and staff, the OPD said in a post on Facebook.

Police and Becky Brown, public relations coordinator for Opelika City Schools, said all students and staff were safe. Brown said parents should not come to school campuses at this time. Opelika police have set up a cordon around the school and are currently investigating the incident, authorities said.

In an update to the OPD app at 12:08 p.m., OPD said, “The previous threat was in reference to an individual who was allegedly on his way to shoot up the school.” OPD said it is still working on the threat to investigate and that the school remained in lockdown while officers searched the area.

“We will notify when the all clear is given,” OPD said.

OPD released the following message to parents: “Anyone arriving at the school is currently being directed to the rear parking lot of Southern Union. No one is allowed on the Opelika High School campus at this time.”

—This is a developing story. The Opelika-Auburn News will update this news article as we learn more.