Bellingham’s Sehome High School locked down Wednesday, closed Thursday
Sehome High School in Bellingham went into a roughly one-hour lockdown on Wednesday, Dec. 8, according to an alert put on the Bellingham Public Schools website.
Wednesday night Principal Sonia Cole posted on the school’s website that classes were canceled at the school for a day: “There will be no school at Sehome tomorrow, Thursday, Dec. 9, to give our staff time and space to get in a better position to support our students when school resumes on Friday. Coaches will communicate updated information about athletics.”
District Superintendent Greg Baker announced at the school board meeting Wednesday evening that Bellingham Public Schools is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in this case.
The incident “raised anxiety, fear to a pretty high level,” Baker said. He added that the incident also impacts siblings and other schools, particularly with the national context (of school shootings).
The district alert mid-day Wednesday said the school went into lockdown around 12:55 p.m. while the Bellingham Police Department investigated a threat that it determined not to be credible.
School operations have returned to normal and students will be heading to their final class of the day. Families may pick up students early or release them from school if they choose to, the district message said.
During the lockdown, students were inside the school with staff with the doors locked, a previous version of the district’s alert said. It also said students and staff were taking safety precautions.
Western Washington University also sent an emergency alert out shortly before 1:30 p.m. and encouraged the WWU community to avoid the area immediately surrounding the high school.
A lockdown situation is initiated when there may be an immediate threat or hazard near or on the school campus, according to Bellingham Public Schools. Students and staff are moved or stay in their classrooms, sit away from sight lines of the doors or windows, and all doors and windows are locked and covered.
Classroom activities stop until the incident is over. The school office is closed and phones won’t be answered, according to information on Bellingham Public Schools’ website.
In a lockout situation, the exterior doors to the school are locked and students follow protocols for moving throughout the building. Friday’s lockout was modified because students stayed in the classrooms they were in as of 11 a.m. that day, and didn’t move throughout the building, Dana Smith, a spokesperson for Bellingham Public Schools, previously told The Bellingham Herald.
A lockout is started when there might be a danger outside of the buildings or off campus, according to Bellingham Public Schools. Law enforcement advises the school district on which protocol to follow, Smith said.
Multiple threats at Sehome
This is the second lockdown/lockout situation, but third threat, at Sehome High School in less than a week. It’s the third overall lockdown/lockout situation for a Whatcom County high school.
Sehome previously went into a modified lockout for nearly two hours Friday, Dec. 3, because a 16-year-old male student brought a Glock-17-style airsoft pistol to school, The Herald previously reported.
The student was released to his parents and charges for possession of a dangerous weapon on school facilities were referred to the Whatcom County Prosecutor’s Office, according to a previous statement from Bellingham police.
On Monday, Dec. 6, a student at Sehome High School told school staff they received a threatening message via AirDrop, according to an update provided on the district’s website. Staff reviewed the message and called Bellingham police for support. Other students also came forward, reporting that they received similar messages from the same phone, the update states.
The threat mentioned in the AirDrop message was determined to not be credible, the update states. Police searched the high school and its perimeter and officers were visible during passing time between classes, according to the update.
School staff interviewed students throughout the day and the district increased its presence of administrators in the high school’s hallways. Once the interviews concluded, Sehome High School Principal Sonia Cole shared an update on the intercom with staff and students, the update states.
The district investigates any and every threat, and believes Monday’s messages were sent as a joke or prank, according to the update. District officials hope the individuals involved reconsider their actions, the update states.
“This has been a challenging few days for many of us, and I appreciate your patience and advocacy for safety for our students and staff,” Cole said in the district’s update.
Smith, the spokesperson for Bellingham Public Schools, did not answer the question of whether students went into a lockdown, lockout or evacuation situation in regards to Monday’s threat.
The district has also shared resources for parents to talk to their children about going through a lockout or lockdown procedure, and on cell phone use.
In a statement provided Wednesday to The Herald, Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy said “BPD investigators are hard at work to determine whether the incidents over the past couple of days are related or not.”
Ferndale threat
A student who reportedly brought a weapon to Ferndale High School, forcing the school into a three-hour-long lockdown Wednesday, Dec. 1, turned himself in to law enforcement Thursday, Dec. 2, according to previous reporting in The Herald.
The weapon was seized and confirmed to be a BB gun. Ferndale Police said in a joint statement with the Ferndale School District that it expected to file criminal charges against the student, whose name has not been released, with the Whatcom County Prosecutor’s Office, The Herald previously reported.
The Herald has reached out to Bellingham Public Schools and the Bellingham Police Department for more information.
This story was originally published December 8, 2021 at 1:35 PM.
