South Milwaukee Middle, High schools were put on brief 'secure hold' after a potential concern

Both South Milwaukee Middle and High schools were put on a brief "secure" hold Wednesday afternoon due to what the school district described as "a potential concern outside the middle school building" and what police clarified was a misunderstanding.

The South Milwaukee School District sent a letter to parents at 2:50 p.m. about the hold at the two schools and the concern near the middle school building. The letter said school administrators and South Milwaukee Police responded quickly, the hold was ended, and the school day ended as normal. School district communication coordinator Dan Bader said the hold lasted "roughly five minutes."

Bader referred a reporter to the South Milwaukee Police Department for details about the "potential concern."

In an email to a reporter, police Capt. Chad Milow wrote, "We spoke to an adult outside the school and verified a misunderstanding. There is no investigation beyond this and no threat of harm to students or staff."

The district said in its letter secure holds mean students and staff will return and stay indoors, visitor access is suspended or limited and teaching continues as normal; they occur "when there is a vague threat to the school or a specific person in the school."

The district's letter also noted that both schools practiced a lockdown drill Wednesday morning, saying students were told ahead of time about the drill.

Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: South Milwaukee Middle, High schools on brief 'secure' hold Wednesday