Accidental code input triggers SMS lock-down

SANDPOINT — An accidental alarm activation put Sandpoint Middle School into lock-down mode and Sandpoint into lock-out mode on Monday.

The schools’ emergency threat procedures were enacted after a student at Washington Elementary School used a school phone to make a call, Sandpoint Police Chief Corey Coon said. The student neglected to press the digit needed to acquire an outside line and the number he dialed happened to be a code that remotely sends the middle school into lock-down.

“The code, unfortunately, is close to a local number,” said Coon.

The call triggered the middle school’s lock-down procedure in which students and staff shelter in place until contacted by law enforcement. It also triggered a lock-out protocol at the neighboring high school.

It also triggered multi-agency response from Sandpoint and Ponderay Police and the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office. An Idaho Fish & Game conservation officer also responded.

Law officers conducted a full-building sweep of the middle school to determine if there was any bona fide threats on the campus.

“We determined that there was no threat,” said Coon.

The activation was traced back to the district’s phone system.

Lake Pend Oreille School District Superintendent Shawn Woodward said the disruption of classes at the middle school lasted about 45 minutes. Classes at SHS were not as seriously affected because access in and out of the facility was barred.

Woodward said the district is amending its phone system to prevent a similar event from occurring in the future.

Both Coon and Woodward were pleased with the students’ and staff reaction to the alarm activation.

“I was extremely impressed with how well trained they were with the procedures,” said Coon. “I could see the benefit of those training sessions.”

Coon said staff kept students calm and collected and Woodward said students took the incident seriously.

Woodward said it was unfortunate that the incident caused undue alarm among staff and students, but it showed that they know how to respond in the event of a threat.

“Things went really orderly and quickly, and kids and staff took it seriously. It’s good practice, really,” said Woodward.