Reports of a lockdown at Milton High School and a man inside with a gun prompted Santa Rosa Sheriff's deputies and Milton Police officers to respond to the school, located on Stewart St. just before 12 noon.
The school was placed on lockdown while police investigated.
Students began calling and texting home to tell their parents what was happening.
After about an hour, officials with the Sheriff's Office confirmed the lockdown was over and a fake plastic gun was found. At least two students are being questioned.
"There was a report of a gun," says Deputy Rich Aloy, "we didn't know if it was real or fake, so we are going to treat it like it's real."
PG Reporter Pamela Holt was on scene and says there were a lot of parents gathering outside the school. Some were comforting each other. No one was allowed to approach the school at that point, and roads leading up to the school were blocked by patrol cars.
Pamela Holt spoke to some parents waiting outside.
Holly Dzuik says her daughter, Julie, is the 9th grade. "It's scary. My daughter told me not to get too close because she did not want me to get hurt," she shared through tears. "I hugged another parent I didn't even know. I told her, 'I don't know you, but I am praying for you.'"
The other parent she hugged was Misty Dwyer whose son, J.T. Williams is in the 12th grade at Milton High School. She said, "I am not leaving here without my son." Dwyer added, "It was scary because my son said it's a real lockdown. He's been doing the police ride-alongs because he wants to be a cop, but now I'm scared."
Most parents showed disbelief as they gathered outside the school.
One parent, Keith Waitman, was one of the first parents to arrive. He was there to pick up his son from Milton High School after he heard what was going on. "I just walked to the front door. I was turned away. They said the school was in lock down. I asked if it was a drill. They said it is not a drill."
At 12:57, law enforcement announced the lockdown was cleared. Some parents removed their student from school, despite the false alarm.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: PHOTO GALLERY: Milton High locked down today; fake gun found inside school