Lockdown on New York School Lifted After No Threat Found

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NBC Bay Area/File

What to Know

  • Arlington High School in upstate New York went into automated lockdown Tuesday afternoon
  • Parents were initially asked to stay away and then were asked to gather at a nearby middle school
  • The school says a police investigation is underway

A high school in upstate New York went into automated lockdown Tuesday afternoon for about two hours, with parents asked not to go to the school. 

Authorities at Arlington High School, about seven miles east of Poughkeepsie, said the school's automated lockdown technology was activated at 1:40 p.m. 

"Do NOT go to the school, even if your child asks you to come. We understand that this may be your first instinct as a parent, but your presence will interfere with the emergency response," the school said in its initial statement to parents.

Just after 4 p.m. the school said the lockdown was over and all students and staff were safe, with the school dismissing students around 4:45 p.m. Parents were given pickup instructions and after-school activities were canceled. 

"The Dutchess County Crisis Team will be available at Arlington High School this afternoon in the Library. We encourage all staff, students and family members that need support to utilize this resource," the school said. 

The school did not say what had initially triggered the lockdown or what was involved in its automated lockdown process. Some school lockdown systems can trigger perimeter doors to be secured, strobe lights and automated messages over loudspeakers and on computers. They can be activated by mobile devices or panic buttons. 

Members of the Dutchess County Sheriff's Department and New York State Troopers responded to the incident, and determined there was no threat to anyone at the school. A video shared on social media shoed a man running into the school with a gun, but the district said they confirmed that was a member of law enforcement who was responding to the alarm.

The school earlier released a statement while under lockdown saying a police investigation was underway at the school and asking parents to gather at a local middle school to await instruction. 

The cause of the alarm is being investigated.

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