No cause for alarm

West Memphis schools briefly go on lockdown

By Ralph Hardin

ralphhardin@gmail.com

Tensions were briefly heightened Tuesday morning on all West Memphis School District campuses, but ultimately the arert was simply a case of mistaken identity.

After receiving a call about a suspicious person near one of the WMSD’s elementary schools, the West Memphis Police Department ordered a lockdown of all campuses.

After a brief discussion with the individual, he was determined to be no threat to the school staff or students and the lockdown was quickly rescinded.

“Because the police department was able to identify and

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clear the person, the lockdown was lifted within five minutes,” said a release from the school district. “The rapid nature of these events prevented us from notifying the public in real time.”

Last month, the West Memphis School District went into lockdown for multiple days over threatening emails sent out, with stepped-up police presence. Tuesday’s non-incident was not related to those earlier threats.

“The safety of our students and team is our number one priority,” said Superinendent Dr. Terrence Brown. “We appreciate the WMPD and their rapid response to this situation. Thank you for your support and understanding.”