UPDATED: The Dalles High School placed in brief lockdown today, Jan. 12
The Dalles High School
The Dalles High School was placed into a brief lockdown this morning, Jan. 12, after reports of a threat were made from outside of the school.
Local police were immediately notified and responded rapidly to the situation.
North Wasco County School District Spokeswoman Stephanie Bowen said “everything was fine” at 12:25 p.m., noting no one was hurt.
“The entire lockdown lasted less than an hour,” she said. “All things considered, everybody did well.”
An additional update will be provided as soon as more information is available through a joint press release with local authorities, said Bowen.
“Thank you to the local law enforcement for responding rapidly,” the district website stated. Again, all students and staff are safe and the lockdown has been lifted, the site says.
The Dalles Police Department and NWASCO D21 had the following message for D21 families regarding the lock down:
Dear D21 Families,
The Dalles High School was placed into a Secure status this morning after a report was made to local law enforcement regarding the potential threat of a student coming to campus with a weapon.
The initial call came in this morning at 7:46 am, with law enforcement from the City of The Dalles Police Department, Wasco County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State arriving to the school within minutes. Simultaneously, school officials began activating their Secure procedures, in which the students arriving to school are brought inside to safe, internal locations while securing all entrances and exits to the school. Once secured, the school was then briefly placed into a full lockdown while a thorough investigation could take place. Out of an abundance of caution, several other district schools were also placed into the Secure status.
After further investigation, it was found that the report contained information that was second hand and outdated and that no direct threat had been made. The individual in question was also not located on the school campus.
The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority and while today’s event unfolded without incident, it is a reminder of why we diligently practice and plan for these scenarios. We would like to express our gratitude to all parties involved today, who acted without hesitation to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students.
Increased security measures will be in place for the remainder of the day.
Dr. Carolyn Bernal
Superintendent, North Wasco County School District
Eric Macnab
Sergeant, The Dalles Police Department
