HUBER HEIGHTS, Ohio — Miscommunication during a police training operation Monday morning caused the new Weisenborn Junior High School to be locked down.

Huber Heights police said a participant in an “active shooter” simulation being conducted at the old Weisenborn Middle School next door mistakenly called 911 instead of the designated training dispatch phone number.

When Huber Heights emergency dispatchers received the call at about 11 a.m., they treated it as a real emergency at the junior high and sent police and fire to the school at 6061 Old Troy Pike.

“Until the call could be confirmed, crews responded as if it was a true, live emergency,” said Principal Tom Heid. He said police arrived with weapons and ordered the lock down. “Our staff and students did an excellent job.”

Huber Heights Lt. Mark Lightner said although it was a mistake, the lock down served as good practice for students, staff and emergency responders.

“It was a good training at the new school because they had an unscheduled lock down,” Lightner said. “They did what they were supposed to do.”

Teachers had just gone through fire drill and lock down training a few days earlier, Heid said. School began Wednesday for about 950 seventh- and eighth-grade students at the new building.

Heid said the school received phone calls from concerned parents as reports of police with guns at school spread on social media. The school sent out a “one call” message to parents at about 11:30 a.m. informing them that there was no threat at the junior high.

Lightner said the training simulations for Huber Heights and Riverside police will continue for the next three days at the old middle school, but should not affect operations at the junior high.

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