Irvington High School Placed Under Lockdown

By: Web Editors Jacinta Chang and Nithya Rajeev

The alleged sighting of a suspicious armed male individual at Irvington High School led to a school wide lockdown on Wednesday, October 15. The man was reportedly seen in possession of a handgun on campus grounds earlier today according to the Fremont Police Department. IHS students were placed into lockdown around 12:40 p.m., with neighboring elementary schools and Horner Junior High School on lockdown as well.

All students on campus were released to go home at 4:35 PM on the same day. A statement released by the Police Department also explained that police officers performed one more sweep of the campus before leaving the scene.

Despite the tension surrounding the event, the staff and students of Irvington and FUSD worked efficiently to ensure that all students were sent home safely. Irvington Junior Ananya Krishnaswamy exclaimed, “I think the administration handled it the best that they could have given the circumstance that it was at lunch. It took hours until all [was] clear, but it was nice to see how dedicated all the teachers and staff were to our safety.”

In light of the recent event at Irvington High School, the administration at MSJ is working to spread awareness in case a similar situation occurs on campus. According to Assistant Principal Jeff Evans, “While we are all relieved and glad to hear that there were no attacks or injury, we can also use this as a learning tool in the event of a lockdown/evacuation at Mission San Jose High School.”

MSJ’s lockdown procedures state that the primary off site evacuation location is Parking Lot H at Ohlone College. Parents are encouraged not to call or text their kids or the school, since it creates classroom noise which could pose danger to those in lockdown,  and prevents staff and security members from using phones for vital communication with FPD. Instead, situation updates will be posted periodically on the emergency link on the FUSD website (see below). Furthermore, it is required that students remain on campus unless otherwise instructed, in order to ensure that everyone is accounted for.

The annual lockdown drill is planned for November 17th, and it is recommended that all students read the detailed lockdown procedures prior to the drill.

Please see the November 14th issue of the Smoke Signal for more details about emergency procedures for MSJ.

 

Emergency Updates Link: http://www.fremont.k12.ca.us/site/Default.aspx?PageID=31

Updated on October 23, 2014