SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — Multiple schools in the Central Valley School District were placed under a “secure and teach” Thursday morning due to a suspicious individual in the area.
University High School was placed under lockdown around 8 a.m. on Jan. 4 due to a suspicious individual in the area. They did not know the exact location of the individual, so out of an abundance of caution they put their western schools under “search and teach.”
According to Marla Nunberg, a Communications Director for the Central Valley School District, she says that Horizon Middle School, Chester Elementary School, Bowdish Middle School, South Pines Elementary, University Elementary, University High School, McDonald Elementary, Spokane Valley Tech, Mica Peak and Early Learning Center have been placed under a “secure and teach.”
She says that this is not a lockdown and that a secure and teach “is where the front doors are locked, but everything goes on as normal in the building.”
This was put in place “out of an abundance of caution, due to a report of a suspicious individual in the area.”
This message was sent out to families from the Central Valley School district just before 9 a.m. this morning:
“This is an important safety update to let you know that U High was in lockdown for a brief period of time, and most of our western schools were in a secure and teach mode this morning. Secure and teach is where the front doors are locked, but everything goes on as normal in the building. This was out of an abundance of caution, due to a report of a suspicious individual in the area. All security measures are in place and our students are safe. Thank you to both our staff and students for their precautions during this time.”
Parents were advised to not come to the school as they went into a secure and teach, but 30 minutes after being placed on lockdown they sent a follow up message stating that it was lifted.
Spokane Valley police are in the area, at this they did not mention if there was a threat to the school but that there was an individual that they were following.
School is now proceeding as normal and students are inside continuing with classes for the rest of the day.
