Students describe crying, hiding and fear during accidental lockdown

PARK CITY, Utah — Park City High School was placed on lockdown Thursday morning after an emergency alert was accidentally triggered, sending students and teachers into classrooms to shelter in place before school officials determined there was no threat.

The lockdown began at 11:42 a.m. and was officially lifted two minutes later, according to a statement from Park City School District.

“The issue was quickly identified, and the lockdown was officially resolved by 11:44 a.m. with no threat to student or staff safety,” a statement from the Park City School District said.

The district said teachers and staff followed lockdown protocols and “students remained calm.”

But for many students inside the school, the brief lockdown was frightening and, for some, felt very real.

A 10th-grade student who asked not to be identified said the school’s emergency alert system went off before Principal Fine came over the loudspeaker. The student said Fine’s voice sounded emotional as he told students the situation was not a drill and instructed them to hide.

The student said she and her classmates immediately moved into a corner of the classroom. Some students hid under desks, while others huddled together. She said some students were crying.

Another student, who also asked not to be identified, said students around him were asking one another whether this was how they were going to die.

The student said his teacher appeared visibly frightened as well.

After several minutes, the classroom door opened. The students initially did not know who was on the other side, the student said.

“We didn’t know it was him and thought it was the person we had the lockdown for,” the student said, referring to Fine.

The district said the lockdown was resolved by 11:44 a.m. and that there was no threat to the safety of students or staff.

The district also credited students, teachers and staff for following emergency procedures and said law enforcement officers arrived on campus within 90 seconds.

“Although this was a false alarm, we are thankful for the quick response of our school community and deeply grateful to law enforcement for their swift, dedicated support,” the district said.

The standard lockdown protocol used by the district calls for students and staff to move out of sight of windows and doors, lock classroom doors, turn off lights and remain silent. The district said occupants should not open classroom doors until they are cleared by law enforcement or school administration. Students and staff may self-evacuate if remaining in a classroom is unsafe or impossible.

The district said every staff member can initiate an alert through the security app on a cellphone or computer. In a statement to TownLift district PIO Colton Elliott said a staff member accidentally triggered the alarm while undergoing training.

“Because the incident was not a scheduled drill, administrators and staff treated it as an active threat until they could verify the situation and determine the cause,” Elliott said.

The District did not say if they would be evaluating their protocols in the future as a result of Thursday’s event.

The district directed families to its school safety and security resources for more information about emergency protocols.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the school district’s statement providing further details about the alarm being triggered accidentally.