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Student with gun prompts lockdown of Springfield High School | January 30, 2018 By PATRICK ADRIAN padrian@eagletimes.com A Vermont State Police trooper stands a post Monday at Springfield High School in Springfield, Vt., after the school was placed on lockdown when a student was reported in the building with a firearm. No one was injured. — Frank Amato photos SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — Springfield High School and the River Valley Technical Center went into lockdown on Monday when a student notified school administration about a potential threat to the building. Springfield police responded to a call by the school at 12:3 p.m. reporting a student in the building with a firearm. Springfield officers arrived at 12:41 p.m. Emergency dispatch records indicate the student was enrolled in the vocational-tech program, whose center is enclosed within the main school building. Police waited outside the tecnical center for the student, who official said was apparently unaware of what was occurring. Neither the school district nor Springfield police have released any further details about the student. At around 3 p.m., students and staff member were released for the day when it was determined that there was no longer a threat. Schools Superintendent Zach McLaughlin said later no one was harmed. Various responders arrived during the first hour of the lockdown, including Vermont State Police, Vermont Fish and Game and the Weathersfield and Chester police departments. Driveway entries to the school were blocked by emergency vehicles, whose members reported no information being shared by building officials. Springfield High School students exit the grounds after a lockdown of more than two hours ended Monday. As early as 1:30 p.m., small crowds began to gather along South Street. Across the street from the high school, a father of a student stood with his phone, waiting for updates, which came occasionally by text from his son inside. Other parents similarly received information. Silence first broke at 2:20 p.m., when McLaughlin delivered a short PA announcement to students from inside the building. Outside, the father received a text from his son, explaining that McLaughlin told them that they were trying to end the lockdown. “Springfield School District knows that student safety is our first priority and we feel that today represents our commitment to keeping our students safe.,” McLaughlin said later. Schools in lockdown through 2 and a half hours Susan Smallheer | January 29, 2018 By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — Springfield High School and the River Valley Technical Center were placed in lockdown Monday afternoon for more than 2½ hours after a student told administrators there was a potential threat to the building. The lockdown, which was triggered at about 12:30 p.m., was lifted shortly after 3 p.m., ending the tense hours with parents waiting outside the school on the sidewalk along South Street. But as they streamed down the stairs outside the school to waiting parents’ cars and trucks and buses, students said they really didn’t know what had happened to trigger the lockdown. While the students left, police remained on site, with Vermont State Police troopers stationed outside the school in key locations. Inside the building, police in protective gear were seen talking to each other and school officials. Students said they were constantly on their smartphones with each other and their parents during the lockdown, asking questions and sharing information. Springfield School Superintendent Zachary McLaughlin stressed that ”everybody is safe” but declined comment, saying the school district would issue a statement to the media. Shortly after 6 p.m., McLaughlin issued a statement that shed little light on the incident, but thanked parents, students and the community for their cooperation as emergency personnel “worked through the emergency procedures.” McLaughlin didn’t say what the potential threat was. Parents were kept up to date via School Messenger, with robocalls and emails going out to the community. Parents were also asked not to come to the school, and were told “no event had occurred and students were safe.” “School personnel and law enforcement worked through their emergency procedures,” McLaughlin said. “Springfield School District knows that students’ safety is our first priority and we feel that today represents our commitment to keeping our students safe,” he added. Students were dismissed shortly after 3 p.m. Teachers, like the students, said they didn’t know what had prompted the lockdown, as students raced to catch their buses. Jeff Matulonis waited for his sophomore son Jacob outside the school in his truck, eager for any update. There have been too many school shootings nationwide not to be worried, he said. Shortly after 3 p.m., the public address system could be heard, and kids started coming down the center steps outside the school. Jacob Matulonis walked straight to his dad’s truck, put his backpack in the back seat and climbed in. He said he had been in history class when the lockdown started, and students and teachers stayed in their rooms. Jacob said he still didn’t know what had happened. Two other students, Brevin Legasse, 14, and Skylar Sheldon, 15, both freshmen, said they had heard rumors that a student brought a loaded gun into the technical center. “Kids didn’t know what was happening,” Legasse said. McLaughlin thanked the many responders including Vermont State Police, police from Chester, Weathersfield and the Vermont Fish & Game Department, and the Department of Motor Vehicles. The Springfield Fire Department sent firetrucks to block access to the high school. susan.smallheer@rutlandherald.com½½ https://www.eagletimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Lockdown2.jpg
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