Red River students were forced into a lockdown after a caller reported an active shooter at the Grand Forks high school this morning (Thursday).
A large law enforcement presence responded to the south side school after the call came in to police dispatch around 10:30 a.m. Police Lt. Andy Stein says officers went room by room before giving the all clear sign less than an hour later. “Officers worked with school officials and get the building cleared…it does appear to be a hoax at this time.”
Assistant Superintendent of Secondary education Catherine Gillach says student safety was the number one concern. “Unfortunately in this day and age all school systems across the nation are required to practice lock down drills. That’s exactly what occurred as soon as the call came in. The building took immediate action…that means doors were secured and students were moved to safe areas in the classroom.”
Details about the call have not been released. Lt. Stein says the incident remains under investigation.
Gillach says extra counselors will be brought in for students and staff who may need some mental health assistance as a result of the incident.
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Grand Forks was not alone in receiving the “hoax” call – several other districts around the state…and region…have reported similar incidents.
Kirsten Baesler, North Dakota’s state school superintendent, said Thursday she was alerted to the threats.
“It is unfortunate that someone would call in hoaxes of this nature, but it is reassuring that our school officials, law enforcement, and other first responders were prepared with such a quick and comprehensive response to keep our students and educators safe,” Baesler said.
“Today’s events are a reminder that we must be vigilant about our preparation efforts to keep everyone safe,” Baesler said. “We also must use this as an opportunity for reflection, for schools and responders to come together to see what worked well, and what needs improvement.”
Last month, about 15 Minnesota schools got similar calls that proved unfounded, including Bemidji and Fergus Falls.
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From Grand Forks Police:
On October 13, 2022, at approximately 10:24am the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) dispatch center received a phone call stating there was an active shooter at Red River High School with multiple people injured. Officers of the Grand Forks Police Department were dispatched to Red River High School and immediately began checking the school and grounds. The first officer responder in this incident was the RRHS School Resource Officer who was on duty and on scene at the time of the call. During the initial response the Patrol Supervisor contacted the School Resource Officer who verified that he had seen nothing unusual and had received no reports of a shooting or injured people. Officers continued to check the building and grounds and did not locate anything suspicious or out of the ordinary. During this search the school was put into a lockdown. The search and verification of the school’s status took approximately one hour. Multiple local, county, state and federal agencies responded to assist on this incident. The police department is aware of similar incidents occurring in the region and nationally on today’s date.
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