Tekoa students directed to shelter-in-place

TEKOA — The School District directed students to shelter-in-place this morning, Wednesday, March 20, with all students required to remain inside buildings.

A notice went out to parents that campus closure was underway, but details were not immediately released.

" As of 9:00 am this morning we have placed the district in a secure situation," the notice said. "Which means that we are staying inside the building due to precautionary measures. There is no threat at this time.

"Please be aware when you come to the school that we are taking precautionary measures."

Students were previously scheduled to attend classes for only a half-day today; students were released from class without incident according to the schedule.

Superintendent Mike Jones called the closure of the elementary and junior/senior campuses a "soft secure."

“We got some information that we wanted to be cautious,” Jones said, refusing to disclose the type of information necessitating a shelter-in-place order. “It’s just a precautionary secure."

On the Tekoa Neighborhood Watch social media page, high school secretary Diane Latkowski notified the community of the decision.

“We are in a soft shelter-in-place," Latkowski wrote. "There was an amber alert and some suspicious people in town.”

Latkowski noted a deputy was in Tekoa and “there is nothing to worry about.

"All the students and staff are safe.”

Jones said a "soft secure" is different than a lockdown, and that there is no imminent threat.

The Whitman County Sheriff’s Office said that there was no record of any reason to lockdown the campus. The Sheriff's Office did confirm a DARE officer was visiting Tekoa schools today.

Deputy Randy Zehm had been previously scheduled to be on elementary school campus, Jones said.