At around 1 p.m. today, Ballard High School went into "Shelter in Place" mode after someone reported seeing a teenager with a gun outside the school.

"My understanding was that a neighbor reported seeing someone with a pistol in his waistband," Seattle Public Schools Spokeswoman Teresa Wippel said. "Security took a look at some video and were able to identify that someone really was there and that person was a student."

It turned out to be a student with an airsoft pistol. The student was taken into custody by Seattle Public Schools security.

Wippel would not release the exact discipline because it was a student and student information is kept confidential, but she said, "We are a gun-free zone on our campuses; we don't allow any guns of any sort."

Wippel said that "Shelter in Place" only means that all the doors are locked and that all other activities go on as normal. At Ballard High School, only the front door remains unlocked throughout the day, so locking that door was basically the only difference the situation made.

Because it was a student, the Seattle Police Department did not get involved with the situation.

"Officers contacted him and everyone was safe. There was really nothing more to it," said SPD Spokeswoman Reneé Witt.

BHS is no longer in "Shelter in Place" mode, which means, yes, you can open the front door.

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