School is back to normal operations at Denning Elementary School after it was observing the “Secure” level of the Standard Response Protocol for about 20 minutes this morning. This means that students were told to be inside the building and all exterior doors were secured. This was due to a staff member observing an individual walking a dog in the surrounding neighborhood who appeared to be carrying a gun. The School Resource Officer and members of the West Frankfort Police Department quickly responded and located the individual who had gone back to his residence at that time. The school was in the “Secure” protocol from approximately 9:18 to 9:38 a.m. All students and staff remained safe during the investigation.
The administration, faculty, and staff should be praised for their quick response as they kept the students occupied and doing regular classroom activities during that time. Schools in District #168 will continue to practice their safety drills to make sure that they are prepared to respond to any potential emergency as everyone works together to educate our children and keep them secure.
The link to this release can be found here: https://aptg.co/N_fzLc.
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