RAYMOND — Law enforcement and school officials say a Tuesday morning lockdown at Raymond Elementary School was a false alarm caused by a problem with the security system. 

“As many of you know, our school went into lockdown at approximately 9:15 a.m. this morning,” said Principal Randy Crockett in a message to school parents. “This occurred because of a malfunction with our computer-based security system. There was no threat to student safety at any time.”

School staff initially received lockdown messages on their computers from the outside alarm company, according to a press release from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office. 

The Sheriff’s Office also received simultaneous notification from the alarm company, the release says, and a school staff member called 911 to report the alarm but speculated that a “computer glitch” could have caused the alarm.  

“The first Cumberland County Deputy was on scene within three minutes and immediately gained entrance to the school and began assessing the situation. It was quickly determined that the alarm was in fact false, however the entire school was checked, room by room as a precaution,” said the release from the Sheriff’s Office, which also noted that staff and students followed lockdown procedures “as a precaution.” 

Raymond Elementary is part of RSU 14, the Windham-Raymond School District. 

A message sent through the district listserve by RSU 14 Superintendent Sanford Prince acknowledged the confusion Tuesday morning.

“There was an erroneous notification that went out regarding a lockdown at Raymond Elementary School. There was no issue and everything is fine,” said the RSU 14 message. “Law enforcement did respond to the alarm in a timely fashion and all protocols were followed. The alarm company is on site rectifying the issue.”

Another RSU 14 building, Windham High School, experienced a different type of lockdown confusion in March when a Windham Police Officer apparently broke protocol and directed high school students to get down on the floor during a walk-through of the school. School officials had canceled a scheduled lockdown drill that day, but allowed police to walk the building to become more familiar with its layout. 

On Tuesday, Crockett commended Raymond Elementary School students and staff for their response and apologized to parents for the situation. 

“I apologize for the stress the initial alert may have caused you and your family,” Crockett continued. “I hope you feel confident that school and law enforcement staff are able to respond effectively to threats.”

Matt Junker can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 123 or mjunker@keepmecurrent.com. Follow him on Twitter: @MattJunker.

Law enforcement and RSU 14 school officials say that a Tuesday lockdown at Raymond Elementary School was a false alarm caused by a security system malfunction. 

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