Linda De La Vega, whose daughter attends the school, said she is frustrated that it took Marion County Public Schools about four hours to notify parents about the incident.
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"It's just upsetting to find out after the fact," she said. "
In a recorded message sent to parents, the Marion County superintendent said police told the district to hold off on notifying parents, but the Ocala Police Department said that isn't true.
"Under guidance from Ocala Police Department, we delayed in notifying the public of the code yellow," the message said.
A district spokesman said they held off on delivering the information sooner because after a shooting at Forest High School in April, police instructed the district to not release information without permission from investigators.
"(We are) requesting that they verify information with law enforcement prior to releasing it," police spokeswoman Meghan Shay said. "However, in no way were they given a directive that they needed permission from law enforcement to inform parents of what was happening."
The district said it released the information once police lifted the code yellow. School officials said it will meet with police to clarify what needs to happen to notify parents in a timely fashion.