ST. LOUIS — An undercover news story on security at schools in the Kirkwood School District triggered a lockdown at a local high school Thursday, sparking complaints from parents.
A reporter from KSDK-TV visited four elementary schools and Kirkwood High School for his report. He was unable to enter the elementary schools; however, he walked right into the high school, as the door was unlocked, The Rolla Daily News reports.
The reporter did give his name and cell phone number to administrators; however, when the office secretary left to get the school resource officer, the man left the office. Although he asked administrators where the restrooms were located, he walked in a different direction, causing panic among office personnel.
A spokeswoman for the school district said office staff tried to contact the reporter three times to confirm he was from KSDK with no success, leading to the Kirkwood High being in lockdown mode for 40 minutes.
District officials noted that while the incident highlighted problems with security, they also believed the news station mishandled the incident. The local community also voiced its disdain.
Initially, KSDK stood by its report, stating that the lockdown didn’t happen until an hour after the reporter left. The news station eventually issued an apology for upsetting the community during its Sunday night telecast, St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
