A concerned phone call from a Maplewood Elementary School parent regarding a shooting in Troy last evening forced the school into a lockout.
Principal Jerome Steele said the parent was very concerned about a shooting she had heard about in Troy. Steele said the school went into a lockout, notified and district and contacted their D.A.R.E. officer, who notified the Colonie police. Within 20 minutes, the school confirmed there was no threat.
We just wanted to be precautionary, Steele said. `Once we learned whatever happened, happened in Troy last night, it had really nothing to do with this morning.`
Steele said the lockout was to assure parents the school was taking the proper measure to keep students safe. He also said that he wasn’t sure where the rumors of a person entered a South Colonie Central School District school.
`Once the rumor mill starts, you can’t control that,` he said. `Parents are concerned. And we want to make sure to verify everything through Colonie police.`
Colonie Police Lt. Robert Winn said the incident was a `big miscommunication` and that all Colonie schools are free from any threat.
`There was never any threat to the North Colonie Schools or the South Colonie Schools,` he said.
For a lockout procedure, Steele said they make sure no one enters or leaves the building. He stressed that for situations like these, people need to keep there composure.
`Everyone needs to be calm,` he said. `Everyone has to ascertain information from the authorities before the rumor mill starts.“