Posted on 12/24/2014 3:00:33 AM PST by mkleesma
LONDONDERRY — An impromptu visit from a former Londonderry High School student who just got home from boot camp led to a misunderstanding — and a district-wide lockdown on Tuesday afternoon.
Superintendent Nathan Greenberg said the former student showed up unannounced at the high school shortly before noon on Tuesday. Police said staff were immediately concerned, as the student, dressed in military fatigues, signed in to visit with a name unfamiliar to staff.
The situation apparently grew heated when he was asked to leave and was ultimately escorted off the premises.
Greenberg said the young man's sibling attends South Elementary School, giving district officials good reason to believe that's where he might be headed next.
Londonderry Police Det. Chris Olson said that a South School employee later reported hearing "three bangs, as if someone was trying to enter the school."
Police later learned that report was unfounded.
"South School was searched, as were the areas around the school and no one matching the original description was found," he added. "There were no signs of forced entry."
Police declined to identify the young man, who they said was cooperative and wasn't facing any criminal charges.
The former LHS student was later found at a Beech Hill Drive home, after police matched the name given at Londonderry High School with the home's occupants.
He was taken into custody for questioning and later released.
"It was determined that there were no crimes committed and that the subject actually never went to South School," Olson said. "He had gone to the high school to visit, having just gotten home from boot camp."
South School Principal Linda Boyd said officials at the high school called her at noontime on Tuesday informing her that an adult male had showed up at the high school "without authorized reason."
Boyd said the elementary school was immediately placed into modified lockdown, meaning students and teachers were ordered to say in place in their respective classrooms until further notice.
Greenberg, along with School Resource Officer Brad Warriner, assisted at the school, as police temporarily closed off a section of Kendall Pond Road.
Similar precautions were taken at the district's other schools.
"We take the safety of our students very, very seriously and this was done mainly as a precaution," Greenberg said. "Fortunately, we have an outstanding police force that (initiated) our ‘stay in place' protocol successfully."
The lockdown was lifted by about 1:30 p.m., just in time for most classrooms to enjoy some planned pre-holiday festivities.
"Everything seems to be resolved now," Greenberg said shortly after 3:30 p.m.
Boyd said the police kept their eye on things at all of the schools for the remainder of the day.
She said she was proud of the way students, staff and police handled the incident.
"Our students showed that they understood the seriousness of the situation and adjusted gracefully to schedule and activity changes without complaining," she added.
"This was especially hard with the pending holiday celebrations this afternoon."
Sniveling, unpatriotic cowards.
I don’t necessarily agree with everyone who’s in a huff about this. The school folks over-reacted, but a lone young male in his late teens or early 20s showing up in “camo” certainly fits the profile of some of the more notorious school shooters.
Better safe than sorry, honestly. No one got hurt or in any other way damaged by the incident, and the school got to practice their emergency procedures in a realistic test.
Doesn’t take much to push the folks into mass hysteria.
Congrats- your name has been placed on top of their list of those fully qualified to be an administrator for that district.
I wouldn’t take the pay cut.
He went to his former high school, wearing the uniform of his country, and got a lesson in liberal tolerance.
the article states in part- “Police said staff were immediately concerned, as the student, dressed in military fatigues, signed in to visit with a name unfamiliar to staff. .....
Greenberg said the young man’s sibling attends South Elementary School, giving district officials good reason to believe that’s where he might be headed next”.
First they said the name was unfamiliar to staff but they knew a sibling attended the elementary school? OK-Whatever.
School shooters don't normally sign in at the front office.
These days, when a school schedules a Christmas pageant, if one parent complains, the pageant is called off. If one parent complains about this field trip, will it be cancelled?
As I said, I think they over-reacted. I don’t think it’s a societal crime worth turning the outrage machine onto, though.
What a bunch of pussies.
None of whom signed in at the front desk.
I'm not. This is par for the course. Just do a keyword search on this site for "zero tolerance" and you will find hundreds of examples of stupidity and an utter lack of common sense among school administrators, every one of whom holds an advanced degree from a college or university.
South School Principal Linda Boyd said officials at the high school called her at noontime on Tuesday informing her that an adult male had showed up at the high school “without authorized reason.”
&&&
Well, there you go. Since he is “an adult male” he must be a potential rapist or murderer.
With the level of reasoning skills and the propensity for hysteria one finds in the average public school educator, is it any surprise that we have so many uneducated/mis-educated individuals walking around?
He was taken into custody for questioning and later released.
In other words he was the victim of a Felony Kidnapping. Prosecute the Kidnappers and their co-conspirators, SUE them into Oblivion. Unless of course they can “articulate a reasonable suspicion a crime was committed or about to be committed”, which they already said they CAN’T.
With the level of fecklessness and aggressive paranoid inanity in public schools today, it is always best to call ahead to speak with someone in the administration.
I remember an incident at a local junior high school in the early 1970s, where an older man showed up, and asked if he could put on a little show for some of the kids. They were very dubious, not knowing who he was, until fortuitously the music teacher stopped by, who recognized Benny Goodman.
After a brief and excited discussion with the principal, the music teacher went on the school PA system to invite any kids taking any music class, or anyone else who wanted to see and hear the clarinet master to come to the cafeteria immediately for a once in a lifetime event.
This just speaks to the “education” school degrees going to people who generally aren’t the brightest bulbs in colleges. The “educators” tend to be self-important, self-protective union members who mainly are concerned about their pensions, benefits and their days off. Most are LIBs who have trouble thinking logically. Have a Merry Christmas!
Dipshits...not a shred of common sense among them all!
The comments at the Union Leader are worth checking out...the usual liberals are getting punched out by another poster who is just sick of their leftist crap...some folks have just ‘had it’.
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