GADSEN, Alabama — Episcopal Day School will be adding extra interior locks to its doors and a dozen new security cameras, as well as implementing new visitor management policies after a man fell through the ceiling of a classroom on Wednesday.
The ordeal began when the man was allowed onto campus around 8 a.m., reports ABC3340. He asked about applying for a job and then left his name and phone number with school staff members. Some believed he was the sibling of a student.
Related Article: CS Survey: Education and Healthcare Campuses Continue to Expand Deployment of Access, Lockdown Systems
When he left the office, staff members weren’t sure if he had actually left the building. Although a parent said they saw him leave through a back door, a teacher checked all of the bathrooms, classrooms, and closets in the downstairs of the building. He was nowhere to be found.
It turns out he was hiding in the crawl space between the first and second floors. The man fell through the ceiling into one of the classrooms downstairs three hours later. Although there were no students in the classroom at the time, a teacher was present. The teacher fled the room screaming and ran into another classroom where class was in session with a fellow teacher and students. They immediately barricaded the classroom and contacted law enforcement.
Suspect Fled Episcopal Day School Before Police Arrived
At least 30 police officers arrived at the scene, but the man had already left campus by the time they arrived.
According to Episcopal Day School Headmistress Cheryl Moorer, she did not call parents during the incident “because all children were safe, and police officers were securing the building. Once the building was secure, teachers were told to contact parents and let them know of the incident and outcome.”
Related Article: Feather River Adventist School: 2 Kindergarteners Critically Wounded in Shooting
Moorer said she will be pressing charges against the trespasser.
In response to the incident, the Episcopal Day School has changed its visitor management policies, now asking a person wanting to come on campus to provide their name and the nature of their business. Additionally, classrooms will now have interior locks, and 12 more security cameras will be installed.
Although hiding in crawl spaces between floors by unauthorized visitors is unusual, it’s not unheard of. In 2014, Spartansburg, S.C. police arrested a woman after she fell through the ceiling at Spartanburg Regional Hospital when she tried to escape from authorities.
