(UPDATE 1:30 p.m.) The lockdown has been lifted.

VALDOSTA  – S.L. Mason Elementary School has been placed on lockdown after school personnel believed they heard gunfire coming from the nearby Hightower Street area, according to Jennifer Steedley with Valdosta City Schools.

“The lockdown is a precautionary measure. Students are still having class as usual on the inside. Lockdown just means students are not allowed outside, ” Steedley said.

Valdosta Today will continue to monitor this story and report more as it becomes available.