STONEHAM — Members of the Stoneham Public Schools, and Stoneham Police and Fire Departments met on Friday to review the circumstances that led to a false alarm and lockdown at Stoneham High School and Stoneham Early Learning Center.
On Thursday, Dec. 5, a third-party vendor working on schoolwide systems accidentally activated an alert, sending the building into an automatic lockdown.
There was no danger to the school community. Information about the false activation was quickly shared with faculty and staff, and parents, guardians, and their children.
During Friday’s review, participants determined that the school district’s emergency plans were followed. Officials also discussed next steps for updating preparedness plans, so students, faculty, staff and first responders may be even better equipped to handle emergency situations.
The meeting had been scheduled as part of an ongoing effort by school and public safety leaders to discuss public safety strategies and initiatives that best serve students and the larger Stoneham community.
Hosting these meetings ensures that public safety personnel and school administrators maintain a level of communication, collaboration and unity that allows them to act immediately and cohesively in the event of a crisis.
“The partnership between Town officials, public safety, and school administration cannot be underestimated in the importance of having safety as our top priority at all times for the Stoneham Public Schools,” said Superintendent David Ljungberg. “Bringing this multidisciplinary team together regularly helps us to all be on the same page when it comes to preparing for any type of event across our school communities. Not only do we plan for events, but we also regularly debrief issues that arise so that we can learn from them and learn from one another to improve our preparedness as a collective effort.”
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