Calvary Christian School given “all clear” after threatening phone call leads to lockdown
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Students and faculty at Calvary Christian School had a chaotic end to their school day when a threatening phone call was made by an unknown person.
The ordeal began around 2:45 P.M. on Friday, April 12, 2024, when emergency dispatchers called the school in regards to a male caller stating they were in a bathroom and was threatening to shoot up the school.
The school’s armed security team was immediately notified and the school was placed into lockdown.
“The security team entered and cleared all bathrooms and unoccupied spaces on campus; the administration requested an officer or officers from the Columbus Police Department to come to campus,” the headmaster of the school, Jim Koan, said in a email to parents. “About 20 minutes after the initial call we learned that Calvary was not specifically mentioned in the phoned-in threat.”
According to the email Koan sent out, “The Columbus Citizen Services Center instead had received a call from an unknown male who stated that he was in “A” bathroom and was going to shoot up “The” school.” The call was forwarded to the 911 center and they began the process of contacting local schools, including Calvary, with the information.
“The threat was not specific to Calvary, nor was the call traced to our campus. Upon clearing all bathrooms and unoccupied spaces, and receiving the go-ahead from law enforcement personnel on campus, the administration determined it was safe to begin dismissal, which proceeded without incident under the watchful eye of local officers and our security team,” the statement read. “I am proud of our teachers and staff who kept our students calm and facilitated an orderly dismissal. Pickup was completed in less than 25 minutes from the time the “all clear” was given.”
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