Sonoma County parents are expressing their frustration after a high school in Sebastopol failed to quickly notify families when the campus was sent into lockdown on Thursday.
West County High School was sent into lockdown on Sept. 9 following two gun threats. In both cases the threats were ultimately unfounded, but parents said they weren’t notified of the lockdown until the investigation had concluded.
One student showed up to her 3rd period class unaware that the school was under lockdown, her father told KCBS Radio.
"This stuff is no joke," he said. "People were wondering 'Are we getting the right information because 45 minutes ago the police said there was no threat and yet there’s still kids sitting under desks.'"
It’s been a tough school year already for students at West County High School. "We’ve been through fires, floods, a pandemic, a high school closure and now a chaotic lockdown," said Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins.
After receiving troubling reports of what went on inside the school, Hopkins is calling for a full review of the lockdown that left many feeling out of the loop.
"I heard about a situation where there was no lock on a classroom and the teacher was forced to use a chair to bar the door," she said. "At this point these are not confirmed, but these are things I’ve heard from parents who heard it from their students. I hope those kinds of incidents are investigated."
Following the outcry, West County High School said in a statement that it will be making modifications to its safety protocols.
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