NEW DETAILS: LOCKDOWN Lincoln City schools

All Lincoln City Schools (Taft Elementary, Oceanlake Elementary and Taft High) were locked down Thursday afternoon, May 7 due to a threat of harm that was phoned into Taft Elementary School.

When the call was received, staff immediately notified 911 and simultaneously implemented lockdown procedures. All outdoor activities were immediately brought inside, all doors and windows were closed and locked, and all students and staff were on the floor and quiet; everyone was accounted for.

The Lincoln City Police Department quickly responded and provided direction and support to all of the Lincoln City schools. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police also provided assistance as the police worked to secure campuses and give the all clear to release students.

Several mass phone calls were sent out to parents, guardians and emergency contacts to update them of the situation as the event unfolded.

Oceanlake Elementary was cleared for student release first, followed by Taft High 7-12 School, and finally Taft Elementary School. We are very appreciative of everyone’s patience as we worked to safely release students to their parents and guardians. Though buses were late (especially for Taft Elementary students), we are grateful for parents’ understanding as we managed this very unusual situation.

We are proud of our students and staff for taking safety seriously at all of our schools, for practicing their drills regularly, and for demonstrating their ability to put those emergency protocols into action.

We are also thankful for our incredible law enforcement partners who came out in force to safeguard all three of our Lincoln City schools.

School will resume Friday as usual with an increased police presence as a precaution.

Editor's Note:  The following is a release from the Lincoln City Police Department:

On Thursday, May 7, at approximately 2 p.m. staff at Taft Elementary School in Lincoln City received a telephone call threatening harm to school children.

Lincoln City Police officers responded immediately to all area schools and each of the schools in Lincoln City went into lock down. The Lincoln City Police were assisted with uniform presence at all of the schools by the Oregon State Police, Newport Police, and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Lincoln County School District Staff managed the school lock down as police started the investigation.

Lincoln City Police Chief Keith Kilian stated that school staff managed the lock down and release very professionally. Both law enforcement and the school district are appreciative of the cooperation and patience of the students and parents as this incident was unfolding.

The threat of harm was general in nature and it is unknown if it was specific to Taft Elementary, so all schools went into lock down as the threat was investigated and assessed. By about 3:35 p.m. a staggered release from lock down was implemented starting with Ocean Lake Elementary. Taft Elementary was last to release all students and buses ran at about 5:45pm.

No immediate threat was detected at any of the schools. The investigation by Lincoln City Police is continuing. School will resume normal operation starting Friday morning with stepped up police officer presence at the various campuses.

Anyone with information regarding this threat is asked to call the Lincoln City Police at 541-994-3636

UPDATE 5:50 P.M. Thursday May 7:

Police and Lincoln County School District officials have released students from Taft High School and Taft Elementary School following a lock down at the two schools.

Lincoln County School District Safety Coordinator Sue Graves was stationed outside Taft Elementary School to help parents reunite with their children.

"All of our students and staff did awesome and the police did a great job in managing all of the schools," she said. "We are thankful to our parents for their patience during this unusual event."

More details to follow.

Update at 4:45 p.m.

Lincoln City Police Chief Keith Kilian told The News Guard that investigators have no suspects at this time.

"The school received a phone threat from somebody wanting to do harm to students and themselves, and based on that we chose to lock down all schools," Kilian said.

Oregon State Police troopers still are scouting the perimeter of Taft Elementary, the school that received the threatening phone call, before releasing the students. 

Update, 4:30 p.m.

Armed Oregon State Police troopers are walking the perimeter of Taft Elementary and checking all vehicles as a precaution to make sure no students will be in any danger when released from the lockdown. Following a sweep of the perimeter, the children will be released.

Update, 4:10 p.m.

Oregon State Police troopers are preparing to release students from Taft Elementary to parents or guardians. Troopers have asked all parents and guardians gathered at the school to have a form of identification ready so that their children can be matched up properly.

Taft High students are being released out the back entrance at this time.

Update, 3:50 p.m.

The lockdown has been lifted on all Lincoln City schools with the exception of Taft High and Taft Elementary, where it is still listed as a code red.

Lincoln City Police said the citywide lockdown of schools was put into effect as a precaution based on the threats made to Taft Elementary via phone call earlier in the afternoon. Police are still investigating the incident.

Update, 3:45 p.m.

Oregon State Police troopers are outside Taft Elementary speaking with gathered parents about a possible evacuation plan. Troopers are taking names of parents and the names of their sons and daughters so they can properly match up the families.

Update, 3:30 p.m.

As of 3:30 p.m., two Oregon State Police troopers entered Taft Elementary as part of the investigation while a group of about 45 parents stood outside the school, with six or seven parents parked along the side of the school. Law enforcement stationed outside Taft High are directing parents to a separate lot to pick up some children.

One parent, who didn't provide a name, told The News Guard she had received a text from her son, a student at Taft High. He corroborated the school district's statement, saying the students and teachers are all safe and holed up following lockdown procedure.

Update, 2:45 p.m. 

The Lincoln County School District issued a public statement at 2:45 p.m. in hopes of updating concerned locals.

"All north area schools are currently locked down due to a threat at one of the north area schools," the statement read. "Police are working to clear the situation. Please be patient with us as we work to clear this issue and realize your child may be delayed in getting home today. We will send another phone call that the police have cleared the area. Buses will also be delayed until the police lift the code red.

"All students and staff are safe and are following our established safety protocols," the statement read.

Law enforcement are waiting to release details and updates on the suspect or suspects, the threats made and the investigation at this time while it is still ongoing, according to Lincoln City Police Dispatch. 

Original content

As of 2:15 p.m., May 7, local law enforcement have locked down all Lincoln City schools following a mysterious and threatening phone call made to Taft Elementary this afternoon by an unknown man.

Police and Sheriff's deputies are currently looking into the identity of the caller, but no details have been released at this time on the caller's identity or what threats were made.

One parent outside of Taft Elementary said the school contacted her to let her know her kids were safe and asked her to please refrain from coming inside the school.

"The office texted me saying the school was in a code red lockdown," said Amy Helmen, the mother of two daughters who attend Taft Elementary. "They told me not to enter the school and that my daughters were safe, and to stay in the parking lot."

A code red alert is the most severe or highest alert for schools in the Lincoln County School District, and other schools. While the lockdown affected Taft High, Taft Elementary and Oceanlake Elementary first, other schools in the city are now under similar lockdown procedures. 

A code red lockdown requires all school doors and windows to be locked, with all lights turned off inside. Students must remain in place and quiet. No one, with the exception of law enforcement, is allowed in or out of rooms and the building. 

Helmen said Taft Elementary recently held a lockdown drill, and she understands the importance of such exercises. But either way, she said her daughters were still scared when it was all over.