By Moses Leos III.
Taking no chances, school officials at Kyle Elementary School locked the doors on Thursday based on a perceived threat from what they called “an angry parent”.
According to an email from Principal Ann Conlee to parents, the school was placed under a precautionary lockout. Parents also received a phone call advising them of the situation.
In a second emailed letter sent to parents on Thursday evening, Conlee explained the situation in more detail.
The letter said, in part, “This morning, an upset parent contacted a district administrator by phone and expressed outrage at several Kyle Elementary School staff members. He was angry because he thought members of our campus staff had reported him to law enforcement about a previous matter.”
It continued, “He did not make any direct or specific threats about any individuals or toward our students. He was, however, threatening in his speech and behavior. It was enough to cause serious concern. We placed our campus into a precautionary lockout in the event he chose to come to the campus while he was upset. Fortunately, he did not come to our campus today.”
Hays CISD spokesperson Tim Savoy said the situation was concerning enough to activate the lockout.
In her initial email, Conlee explained a lockout, which is different from a lockdown. During a lockout, campus staff locks the doors externally, but school continues as normal. Parents are allowed to remove their children from school, but must contact the front office for entry to the building.
A lockdown, on the other hand, requires all doors to be locked and all staff and students moved to safe locations according to a pre-arranged plan. During this lockdown security procedure, all activity inside the building stops.
At 9:09 a.m., the Kyle Police Department was dispatched to Kyle Elementary, as was the Hays County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies and officers on the scene assessed there was no immediate threat. However, both law enforcement agencies remained on campus.
“[Staff] asked KPD to have an officer present,” Barnett said.
School officials and members of the Sherriff’s Office eventually met with the upset parent; that meeting took place in a separate building near the west side of the Kyle Elementary campus. Barnett was told the individual was calm and peaceful.
After the several hours-long discussion, the parent left on his own accord. The lockout was lifted prior to the end of the school day.
Still, the moment was a shock for parents. Many rushed over to the school to pick up their children during the lockout.
Craig Holloway, who picked up his daughter after receiving the call from KES, felt it was the right thing to do.
“I thought I’d better be safe than sorry, so I came to get my daughter,” he said.
Some parents wanted more information before removing their children. Amanda Reyes fell into that category. She received the same phone call and email.
“[The email had] a good description of what was going on,” Reyes said. “But I wanted to speak to someone to see what was going on.”
For others, it was a family decision more than anything else. Fidel Garcia said his wife motivated him to pick up their daughter.
“My wife was a little nervous,” he said. “They said there was no danger to this campus, but my wife felt more comfortable getting her out.”
Conlee’s second letter informed parents that law enforcement officers would continue to have a presence on campus, at least in the short-term.
“As added reassurance for you, your children, and our staff, we will have law enforcement officers on our campus again tomorrow and possibly into next week, but we will not be under a lockout. We don’t expect the need, but won’t hesitate to issue another lockout or take any other security action if the need arises.”
She reminded parents to be on the lookout as well.
“You can help too. It’s always a good idea to be vigilant. If you ever see anything suspicious on our campus, report it right away to us or to police,” she said.
