UPDATE: Arrest Made For Threats That Led To ‘Shelter-in-Place’ Orders at Sioux Falls schools
UPDATE Sep 20, 2023 01:31 PM
Our newsgathering partners at Dakota News Now are reporting that the Tea Police Department has arrested a juvenile suspect in connection to threats that caused shelter in place order at Tea and Sioux Falls schools Tuesday (9/19).
ORIGINAL STORY Sep 20, 2023 07:20 AM
A group of students, parents, and staff from a handful of Sioux Falls schools had somewhat of a scary, and confusing situation for nearly two hours on Tuesday.
Dakota News Now is reporting that students and staff attending Horace Mann Elementary, Robert Frost Elementary, Susan B. Anthony Elementary, Patrick Henry Middle School, Lincoln High School, and the Instructional Planning Center were asked to shelter in place until 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday (September 19).
The shelter-in-place order was in effect for the six Sioux Falls school buildings for roughly a 90-minute period.
While there was never a direct threat to the buildings in question, the decision was made nonetheless to have the students and staff in attendance inside each of those buildings shelter in place.
According to Dakota News Now, the Sioux Falls Police Department was contacted by another law enforcement agency about a possible threat. It was learned that a person of interest was possibly in Sioux Falls within that jurisdiction during that period of time.
The Sioux Falls Police Department located the subject around 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday and the shelter-in-place order was lifted immediately after that.
The Sioux Falls School District sent an email to parents within the district notifying them of the shelter-in-place order for the five schools and the IPC building. According to Dakota News Now, the email clearly stated there was no direct impact on the schools, however, law enforcement requested that doors be locked and no one leave or enter the buildings while the shelter-in-place order was in effect.
Students from Lincoln High School who were typically allowed to leave for open lunch were forced to stay inside the building until the situation was resolved.
Additional details regarding the incident itself were not made available to the public.
Source: Dakota News Now
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