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Shortly before 2 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2, an automated lockdown alert activated, leading to a response by police at the Scarsdale Middle School. It was later determined that the alarm malfunctioned, though the school was swept by police as a precaution.
“Upon arrival at the school, it was decided by school officials and the Scarsdale Police Department that a sweep of the school would be performed out of an abundance of caution,” Scarsdale Police Capt. Edward Murphy said. “The sweep of the school was conducted and no threat was discovered. The building was turned over to school officials at approximately 3:30 p.m.”
The lockdown led to a delayed dismissal of approximately an hour and forced buses to run late after being forced to make adjustments at Fox Meadow, Heathcote and Quaker Ridge.
Scarsdale Schools Superintendent said that the automatic lockdown system is currently in the testing phase, and was inadvertently activated.
“Building administration immediately called the Police Department, and all of our protocols were put into place both at the school and with the police,” he said. “During the same time, the district investigated how a system, not currently in use, was triggered. Due to these unusual circumstances, communication was delayed until such a time as we had correct and complete information. The district is committed to communicating with our community in a timely and accurate way.”
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