North Allegheny goes into secure mode in response to shooter hoaxes in Pittsburgh

The North Allegheny School District placed its schools in a precautionary secure mode for about 90 minutes on Wednesday , after schools in Pittsburgh and around the state received threats that later turned out to be hoaxes.

NA first notified families and student caretakers by an email from NA Superintendent Dr. Melissa Friez and an automated phone message shortly after 11 a.m. that the district being put in secure mode.

The district sent an email at 1:30 p.m. removing the schools from lockdown based on information from the local law enforcement that the threats elsewhere were hoaxes and that no schools in the city’s northern suburbs received a threat, and no violent incidents were reported. All after-school student activities, athletics, and school events were to proceed as regularly scheduled.

Secure mode means students remain in schools and staying indoors. The day otherwise proceeds as usual. Outside doors are checked to be confirmed to be locked. Also, no student early dismissals or return from a dismissal are permitted.

Normally when school is in session, North Allegheny has a closed campus policy, which prohibits unauthorized visitors to access the district properties from 7 a.m. through 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

North Allegheny has Safe2Say Something as a safety tool for students, staff, and communities to anonymously report unsafe, potentially harmful, dangerous, violent or criminal activities in a school or the threat of such activities. People should call 1-844-2729 to make a report, according to Friez’s email.