Erroneous lockdown announcement at Lakeridge Middle School prompts district-wide protocol review
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Lake Oswego School District officials said they're reconsidering its lockdown protocols after students were sent into a panic at Lakeridge Middle School on Tuesday.
The district said a lockdown message was accidentally triggered on an office phone, playing the announcement over a school-wide intercom: "Lights, locks, out of sight."
It was not a scheduled drill or an actual emergency.
The erroneous announcement came during lunchtime when many students were not in class. The district said teachers followed protocols correctly, including performing a sweep and bringing any students near their doors inside the classroom. However, some students were left outside to fend for themselves.
Families told KOIN 6 News they want answers on how this happened in the first place, while students expressed their bewilderment as it was happening.
"I couldn't get into the classroom," said Elin Hartley, a 6th grader at Lakeridge Middle School.
"Everybody was screaming, running, knocking on doors," added Payton Berning, an 8th grader.
Pepper Salazar, a 6th grader, recalled, "All of the doors were locked and I was banging on them and it was very scary because I couldn't get to anywhere."
The false alarm happened during a passing period in the transition to lunchtime. For students caught in the hallway, it felt all too real, with some calling it "traumatizing."
"Nobody was opening the door. So there was a teacher opening the door. So we tried to sprint over there but they shut the door on us," said Maya Jean-Baptiste, a 6th grader.
Carly Salazar, a Lakeridge mom, has three kids at the school, in 6th, 7th and 8th grade. She said all three of them called her in a panic during the lockdown but none of them successfully made it into a secure room for what turned out to be no emergency taking place.
"How is this a glitch if I'm being told that doors are being barricaded, doors are being locked, kids are running around screaming, adults were running around screaming, nobody seemed to know what was going on," Salazar said. "It's every parent's worst nightmare."
Salazar criticized the entire procedure of the school going into lockdown, saying it unfolded with "so many holes" in the protocol.
"It's unsettling at the minimum," she said.
Salazar said she's filed a formal complaint with the school and the district, demanding answers and a plan.
The school district has since announced plans to review protocols for lockdown situations.
"As horrible as this was, it was a good reminder that we have to think of all angles and sometimes you don't, and I don't fault the school for that," said Sara Purdy, another parent of the school.
Mary Kay Larson, a Lake Oswego School District spokesperson, sent the following statement to KOIN 6 News about the incident:
"We are aware of concerns regarding how a lockdown message was handled at Lakeridge Middle School yesterday. A pre-recorded lockdown announcement, 'Lights, locks, out of sight,' was inadvertently played over the school’s intercom during the transition to lunch. This was not a scheduled drill, nor was it an actual emergency. All students and staff were safe at all times.
"Understandably, the incident caused concern. Teachers responded quickly and followed lockdown protocols as they are trained to do. School administrators then communicated with everyone on campus to clarify that the message was played in error and returned the school to normal operations.
"The school, district, and law enforcement are actively reviewing protocols to prevent something similar from happening again. We will also reinforce procedures with teachers, staff, students, and families to clarify how to respond if a lockdown announcement occurs during a passing or unstructured period."
This is a developing story.