COWETA, Okla. — During the afternoon of Sept. 25, Coweta police responded to an incident right outside Central Elementary School.
Classes were placed on a brief ‘hold,’ but the district did not notify parents.
2 News heard from some concerned parents in Coweta, saying they were left in the dark.
It all started when a woman called the police — telling them her ex-boyfriend was driving around, following her, trying to get her to stop.
Eventually, it made it to the grounds of the school.
“I could tell you that the kids were safe, and I had more than enough officers on the scene to provide any other protection,” Coweta Police Chief Mike Bell said.
2 News met Coweta Police Chief Mike Bell outside the station. He gave us more insight into the incident, an insight that parents like Diana Perry were missing.
“I would’ve been upset if the teacher didn’t call me and let me know what’s going on,” Perry said.
Supt. Max Myers says no parent needs to sign up for a special app or texting line. He says they should receive all communications as long as their phone number is registered with the school.
All of Perry's children go to Coweta Public Schools. Just like any mother, she wants to keep tabs on her kids.
“Any time anything is happening, they should be contacting the parents. Letting them know what’s going on,” Perry said.
2 News asked Coweta Superintendent Max Myers about the decision. He said that because the event did not lead to a full lockdown, the district carried on as usual.
“We had placed the school on a hold, which basically is an incident that is not one where students are in any danger,” Myers said, “With situations like that, we typically don’t notify parents.”
During a “hold” school pretty much goes on as normal, but kids can’t leave the classroom.
According to Bell, no one in the incident had a connection to the school. The building was just caught in the middle.
“[The caller] was trying to make it to the police department so that she could stop her vehicle in front of the police department,” Bell said.
Officers came out of the department building to make contact with the male subject. That’s when he pulled his car into the bus loop of Central Elementary.
After a few minutes, officers let the subject go, as no crime was committed, Bell said.
All in all, Perry is glad officers handled the situation quickly and safely.
“If they let them go, then they’ll get away from the police,” Perry said. “But still, the school should still contact the parents to let them know what’s going on.”
Supt. Myers said the district would absolutely notify parents in the event of a full lockdown.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- SUBSCRIBE on YouTube
