Students were kept on lockdown for almost five hours on March 20 at a Sykesville, Md., high school after seven telephoned threats of “shooting and chaos” were received, the Baltimore Sun reports.
Officers from Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Police, and Sykesville Police Department surrounded South Carroll High School right before school was dismissed, about 2:18 PM. They searched inside the school using tactical and K-9 units, but according to reports, no weapons were found, and students were allowed to leave the building at around 7 PM after police searched them personally.
Carroll County Superintendent of Schools Steve Guthrie said some parents had expressed concern that they were not kept advised of the situation in the school while it was happening.
“Being a parent of a high school student, I certainly understand that concern resulting in increased anxiety,” he wrote in a letter to parents. “However, please understand that this incident was being investigated while students were in the building and information about the incident was subject to change at a moment’s notice.”
Mr Guthrie also said police stayed to search the backpacks left by students and scanned the school one last time for any bombs. “At the end of the incident, the police determined that the threat was not credible and students were never in any danger,” he said.
Classes resumed on March 21, and police continue to follow up on leads to determine who was responsible for making the threats.
