Source of 'Loud Noise' that Led to Lockdown Unknown: D113A

District 113A officials and Lemont police were not able to determine the source of a loud noise that startled staff and led to a lockdown of all schools Thursday.

“At this time, we do not have a definitive answer to the cause of the ’loud noise’ that prompted us to go into lockdown,” Superintendent Dr. Courtney Orzel said in an email sent to parents. “I assure you that our police department covered every area of the two schools and our maintenance department has also done a thorough walkthrough to analyze all potential possibilities.”

The sound heard near River Valley late Thursday morning alarmed staff, and Principal Debbie Lynch who made the precautionary decision to call 911 and lockdown the school, Orzel wrote in the email. Oakwood and Old Quarry schools were put on lockdown as precaution.

Police throughly searched the premises, Orzel said. District staff kept parents informed via email.

READ: ‘Loud Noise’ Leads to Lockdown of D113A Schools

“Please understand that during these situations, we are communicating and working with the police first,” Orzel wrote. “We immediately implement our safety protocols and account for our students and staff, and we reach out to families as soon as we possibly can. We were able to get an email blast to our families within 30 minutes of the 911 call being placed indicating our reason for the lockdown along with the information that the police had already done an initial check of the building and communicated that students and staff were safe. At that point, we indicated to parents that the police were checking each classroom and we would communicate additional information as soon as we could.”

Administrators were given the all-clear to lift the lockdowns around 12:45 p.m.

The district added in the interest of the students’ safety, Orzel said.

“We will always err on the side of caution when there is a potential threat to our staff and students’ safety,” Orzel wrote. “Our administration and staff acted promptly to a potential safety concern, and I am happy to report that our students and staff are safe and that our administrative team, staff, and the Lemont Police Department did an incredible job during this situation yesterday.”

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