Coyote Sighting Near PCMS Prompts Brief Lockdown, Police Response

A coyote sighting near Port Chester Middle School prompted a police response and a brief delay before students were let out of the school building Wednesday afternoon.

No one was injured, and the animal was scared off by school staff blowing air horns as Rye Brook police secured school grounds.

The sighting came at the end of the school day, just as classes were wrapping up and students were getting ready to head home.

"I was doing the announcements at the end of the day ... and my assistant principal comes over to me and says, 'Pat, I think I spotted a coyote outside,'" said Patrick Swift, Port Chester Middle School's principal. "At the same time a student came by and said they'd spotted it."

The animal was spotted about 100 yards from the school, near the athletic fields which border the school building on Bowman Avenue.

"I didn't want to dismiss the students without knowing what was going on," Swift said.

School officials delayed dismissal and dialed police, while several security guards with air horns went outside and approached the animal. The air horns prompted the animal to run out of sight into a nearby wooded area.

Students were held for less than 10 minutes past the usual dismissal time, and staff directed them to leave through the main doors on the east side of the school building, Swift said.

Rye Brook police officers stayed on school grounds for about an hour afterward, making sure all students had left and the area was secure.

School leaders will meet Thursday morning to discuss the incident and safety procedures, Swift said. A fence separates an outdoor area frequented by students during lunch periods, and monitors carry air horns as a safety precaution since a of in the Rye and Rye Brook areas last year. Residents have also reported seeing c over the past year.

Swift said a phone message was sent to parents via the Connect Ed service at 4:45 p.m., alerting them to the incident.

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