Burlco school searched after gun was reported

Levitt Middle School in Willingboro was placed under lockdown yesterday after police got a report of a student with a gun.

No gun was found and no arrests were made, but police searched rooms, students and book bags for two hours as school officials went through students' lockers. No one was allowed to leave the building or enter the hallways during the lockdown. Students were confined to the gymnasium or classrooms.

Police had received a report of an unknown student holding his pant leg near the front pocket while in a hallway. The witness reported seeing what was thought to be the silhouette of a handgun in the pants pocket, according to police.

Last month, the school was placed under lockdown after a bullet was found on the premises. Three Willingboro students were arrested and put under investigation in connection with an alleged hit list and plot.

In the same week as the bullet incident, five Willingboro High School students were charged with rioting after a cafeteria fight. It was the third fight at the school in a month.

Willingboro is the second-largest school district in Burlington County, with 5,600 students. During the 2005-06 school year, the school had a 35 percent suspension rate, according to the New Jersey School Report Card. The state average is 4 percent.