Sehome High School was in a lockout; Bellingham police investigating situation
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Sehome High School went into a nearly two-hour modified lockout Friday morning while the Bellingham Police Department investigated a situation at the high school, according to Dana Smith, a spokesperson for Bellingham Public Schools.
The school went into a modified lockout around 11 a.m. on Dec. 3, Smith told The Bellingham Herald. The modified lockout was ended around 12:45 p.m., according to a school district update sent to families.
Bellingham police advised the district that it could end the modified lockout and that students were being dismissed from their classes to go to lunch, according to the update, which the district sent to The Herald.
“We are confident that everyone is safe at school,” the update read.
There are no additional details available at the moment about the situation Bellingham police were investigating, Smith said.
In a message sent to families around 12:15 p.m. Friday, school administration said it was asking students to remain in their classrooms and for families to not come to Sehome High School to pick their students up. The district provided the message sent to families to The Herald.
“Students and staff are still engaged in learning and we’re supporting students who have needs outside of the classroom,” the note to families read.
In the update sent at 12:45 p.m., school officials said Bellingham police had conducted a thorough investigation and also checked the school’s hallways with K-9 officers.
“We know that these safety protocols can make students and families feel unsettled,” the update read. “Your children’s safety is our highest priority.”
In a lockout situation, the exterior doors to the school are locked and students follow protocols for moving throughout the building. This lockout is modified because students are staying in the classrooms they were in as of 11 a.m., and not moving throughout the building, Smith said.
A lockout is started when there might be a danger outside of the buildings or off campus, according to Bellingham Public Schools. Law enforcement advises the school district on which protocol to follow, Smith said.
This is the second lockout/lockdown situation at a high school in Whatcom County this week.
A student who reportedly brought a weapon to Ferndale High School, forcing the school into a three-hour lockdown Wednesday, Dec. 1, turned himself in to law enforcement Thursday, Dec. 2, according to previous reporting in The Herald.
The weapon was seized and confirmed to be a BB gun. Ferndale Police said in a joint statement with the Ferndale School District that it expected to file criminal charges against the student, whose name has not been released, with the Whatcom County Prosecutor’s Office, The Herald previously reported.
The Herald has reached out to Bellingham police for more information.
