Gainesville High School’s campus was placed on a secure hold, with all exterior doors locked, after the school resource officer received a tip that a student had a gun.
As GPD continued to investigate the tip, no one could leave or enter campus, according to Alachua County Public Schools spokesperson Jackie Johnson.
This slightly delayed the end of school day release process. Johnson said GPD advised it was safe for students to leave while they continued the investigation.
Gainesville High started a controlled release at 2:45 p.m., around the same time as a normal school day release, according to Johnson.
Half the students were released at 2:45 p.m., and the other half were released shortly after. Johnson said all students had left by 3:20 p.m.
Gainesville Police closed off the room with the student accused of having a gun and searched the entire classroom but found no weapon.
GPD spokesperson Art Forgey said officers determined the tip was inaccurate.
Contact Alexa Ryan at aryan@alligator.org. Follow her on X @
Alexa is a second-year journalism and international studies students serving as the Fall 2025 Criminal Justice beat reporter. She previously served as a copy editor. She spends her free time running, traveling, having movie nights and going on random side quests with friends.
