SAN ANTONIO -- Schools in the Alamo Heights School District have reopened after a threatening call prompted officials there to lock down all of their campuses Monday.
A Cambridge Elementary School spokesperson said the school received the threatening call Monday morning. The school was placed on lockdown around 9:00 a.m., and police were called to the campus. Parents were then notified through email and the school's messaging system. The school spokesperson also said police were able to speak with the caller but could not release any other details about the call.
Alamo Heights ISD then also placed all other schools in the district under a modified lockdown and kept parents updated with direct messages from the superintendent every 30 minutes.
Around 1:30 p.m., the district stated officers determined the threatening call was "not credible" and the lockdowns were lifted.
The district said all schools, including Cambridge Elementary, would remain on regular release schedule. However, some parents have chosen to pick up their children from the school early.
District officials said there will be a police presence at all Alamo Heights ISD campuses for the remainder of the week as a precaution.
Statement from Alamo Heights ISD
For Immediate Release
Monday, December 17, 2012
Parents - The police have ascertained that the phone threat this morning was not credible. The district and police used an abundance of caution in locking down the school. At this time, we are lifting the lock-down at all campuses. School will continue to operate as normal for the remainder of the day and dismissal will occur at normal times. Police will continue to investigate this case, and it is possible this is linked to other phone threats made to other places in the past. We will continue to cooperate with police.
Now that the lock down has been lifted, we know that some parents want to come pick their children up from school early. Although we know they are safe at school, and we encourage them to stay in school until the end of the day, parents are allowed to pick their children up by checking in at the front office. All campuses will follow normal dismissal procedures.
Thank you for your patience today. In spite of the threat, school has been calm and the children and teachers have been wonderful.
For the remainder of the week, we will have a police presence at all campuses. Otherwise, schools will follow their normal routines.
It is sad that someone would make a call and disrupt our schools. Schools sometimes get threatening phone calls, and it is unsettling to all of us. However, while we have to follow safety protocols at school on a daily basis, very few phone threats turn out to be legitimate. It is important for us to be mindful of how we talk about this with our children and to model calmness for them.
We love our children and so appreciate your patience and support today. We also thank our district staff, law enforcement officials, and parents for handling this day so well. They did a great job! Please let our staff know if we can help you in any way.
