South Yorkshire school locked down over 'suspicious' man who turned out to be parent "dropping a bag off"
“As a precaution the school made a decision to enter lockdown while officers conducted enquiries”
Police were called out to a secondary school that was put into lockdown over a man “behaving suspiciously” - however it turned out he was a dad dropping of a bag.
Penistone Grammar School, on Huddersfield Road, Barnsley locked its doors this morning as officers attended the incident at around 8.30am.
It is understood that a number of police vehicles attended to investigate the man, who was located outside the school.
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However, South Yorkshire Police have now revealed that the man was in fact a parent said to have been “dropping a bag off for a child.”
A force spokesperson added: “At 8.30am today (Friday 8 October) we received reports of a man behaving suspiciously outside Penistone Grammar School, in Huddersfield Road, Penistone.
“Officers attended and it was determined that the man was a parent dropping a bag off for a child.
“As a precaution the school made a decision to enter lockdown while officers conducted enquiries. This has since been stood down.”
It is understood that school has resumed as normal for the rest of the day.
Following a stir online, the local MP released a statement on Facebook thanking staff and police who “kept students safe.”
Penistone and Stocksbridge MP Marie Tidball wrote: “I have been in touch with school leaders this morning, who have confirmed this incident has been resolved.
“I am grateful to the joint efforts of safeguarding leaders and South Yorkshire Police officers who attended, and for all the teachers who kept students safe.”
In a message sent out to parents, principal Paul Crook said: “At approximately 8:30am, we made the decision to implement our full lockdown procedures. This was due to an unauthorised adult being present on the school site -outside the building, and at that stage we were unable to confirm that the individual had left the premises. In line with our procedures, we immediately contacted the police and followed their guidance throughout.
“Police officers worked alongside senior leaders to carry out a thorough search of the site. Once the police and school leaders were satisfied that the site was safe and secure, we were instructed to end the lockdown and return to normal school operations. There is no threat at all now and nobody unauthorised is on our school site.
“We would like to reassure parents and carers that there were no weapons involved and no direct threats made towards the school, staff or students. The decision to initiate lockdown was taken as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety and wellbeing of everyone on site.
“We understand that incidents such as this can generate speculation and concern. We would respectfully ask parents, carers and students not to post unverified information on social media, as this can cause unnecessary anxiety and may hinder the accurate communication of information. The school will always communicate directly with families through official channels, including text messages and email, and we encourage parents to check these communications for updates.
“Our staff are continuing to check in with students throughout the day to ensure they feel safe, reassured and supported. At present, there is no ongoing threat to the school and therefore no reason for students to be collected early. We kindly ask that students remain in school so that learning can continue as normally as possible and we can continue to provide appropriate support should any child require it.
“The safety and wellbeing of our students and staff remains our highest priority. Thank you again for your continued support and understanding.”