This story was updated to accurately reflect the most current information.
Thurston High School was placed on lockdown Friday following a threat made to the school, according to Springfield Public Schools.
Additionally, Thurston Middle School, Thurston Elementary School and Ridgeview Elementary School were in a lockout, said Allison McGowan, a spokesperson for Springfield Public Schools.
The high school was to remain in lockdown through the end of the school day on Friday due to the threat, the school district said at 11:41 a.m.
This Friday was an early release day. The district said Springfield Police would “continue to have a large presence at the school as they diligently investigate the threat” while students sheltered in place.
No details on the nature of the threat were released.
Thurston High “will have a controlled release of students,” the school district said. Starting at 12:40 p.m., students were to be released to their normal mode of after-school transportation while Springfield Police remained on campus. For those students who ride the bus, they were to be taken to the cafeteria for lunch before boarding the bus at their normal time.
Students at Thurston Elementary, Thurston Middle School and Ridgeview Elementary were also scheduled to remain on lockout until the end of the school day. The school planned to release students at the normal early release time of 12:30 p.m. Buses would run as normal. Parents who were picking up their students were asked to wait until the 12:30 p.m. release time to go to those schools.
Law enforcement officers were on site “as a precaution,” according to school officials, and authorities asked the public to avoid the area.
In a lockdown, students and staff stay in secure rooms with locked doors. A lockout involves securing the building perimeter while allowing classes to continue as normal inside. In both cases, no one is allowed to enter or exit the schools.
“Please do not go to the school,” the district said in a statement. “No one will be allowed in or out of the building as students and staff shelter in place. We will share information as soon as it is available.”
The incident is the latest in a series of similar threats affecting Eugene-Springfield area schools this school year.
Notably, Thurston High School is still marked by a traumatic history: In 1998, it was the site of a mass shooting that claimed two student lives and left many more injured.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Thurston High put on lockdown, nearby schools on lockout after threat
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