South Philadelphia High School placed on lockdown after ammo found

South Philadelphia High School was briefly placed on lockdown Thursday morning after a teenager allegedly brought live ammunition into the building.

A school safety officer checked a 17-year-old student’s backpack after a metal detector at the building’s entrance went off, and police said a 9mm magazine with one live round was discovered. No gun was found, School District of Philadelphia officials said.

“While we are fortunate that this item was not accompanied with a firearm, it is still an item that is prohibited on any School District of Philadelphia property and, per District policy, the school was secured while a thorough search for other potential prohibited items on school grounds was conducted,” school system spokesperson Christina Clark said.

Clark told Metro that only students who bring guns to school are arrested; young people found in possession of other prohibited items, such as a firearm clip, are diverted, she added.

Following the search, class resumed as normal at the school, located at Broad Street and Snyder Avenue, Clark said.