The administration of Souris School were following the protocol set by the Southeast Cornerstone School Division for the safety of the students, when it locked the school down for part of the day on April 3, said education director Marc Casavant.
The administration of Souris School were following the protocol set by the Southeast Cornerstone School Division for the safety of the students, when it locked the school down for part of the day on April 3, said education director Marc Casavant.
Sometime after noon that day, the school was locked down and children were not allowed to leave the school on their own. At the end of the school, any children who didn't ride the bus had to be picked up by their parents.
In a letter to parents, obtained by the Weyburn Review, parents were told the protocol was followed "due to a potential custody issue", and while there was no threat to the school or students, the school was locked down "to make sure that our students are safe."
In explaining the protocol, Casavant said the lockdown procedure is put in place for "what could be perceived as any kind of threat that could affect students, staff or parents. In this case, it was done for safety reasons. From what I understand, the police came and left fairly quickly. It was done for precautionary measures."
He added generally this is a school-based decision, and they in turn notify the police and then himself at Cornerstone headquarters.
Inspector Russ Chartrand of the Weyburn Police Service said they did respond at the request of the school, but said, "From a police perspective, there were no concerns with this incident."
Following any such incident, a meeting will be held with school officials and the police to go over the incident and what was done, said Casavant, and to determine if school officials handled this situation appropriately.
