The Portland, Maine, school board will now allow local police to determine when to lift a lock-down at a school, following a rash of incidents earlier this year.
The board, which is known as the Portland School Committee, made the decision at a March 10 meeting where members discussed the annual school safety update and the four incidents. In each case, students were kept inside classrooms.
Three of the lock-downs took place at a middle school, including an initial lock-down when a threatening note was left in a student bathroom. A copycat incident occurred at Portland High School.
District officials have now changed their protocol for handling lock-downs, allowing Portland police to determine when the lock-down should be lifted. Police gave the district feedback that the schools may have been re-opened sooner.
In order to prevent such incidents in the future, school committee members suggested students and parents sign a consequence sheet to encourage dialogue in the home.
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