Are people just in a Panic or what?
Chatham a very small town in Illinois

Glenwood Middle School in Chatham went on "soft lockdown" Monday afternoon and students were released late after an empty bullet shell was found in a hallway.

After a student brought the shell to the school office about 3 p.m., students were kept in their classroom while the building was searched, Ball-Chatham School District spokeswoman Betsy Schroeder said.

School officials contacted local authorities and the district's director of safety and security. The search turned up "no firearms, no additional ammunition, nothing," Schroeder said.

The incident comes three days after the shooting in Newtown, Conn., that left 20 students and six school employees dead. Schroeder said, regardless of what occurred Friday, the district would have treated the incident in the same way.

"We take that very seriously," she said.

sj-r.com

Sounds like they were just taking a precaution after the last incident.