Clifford School in Redwood City was briefly placed on lockdown Friday afternoon in reaction to a threat made by a student to the school in a text message sent to another student.
Officials at Clifford School, which is within the Redwood City School District, notified law enforcement, who then told school officials to "secure [the] campus." The district reportedly notified all Clifford families of the lockdown through robocalls, email and a text message alert.
The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office told the Redwood City Pulse that the school lockdown was ordered: "out of an abundance of caution."
The brief lockdown began shortly before 1 p.m. and was lifted around 2 p.m. after the student who made the threat was located, and law enforcement secured the campus.
A San Mateo County Alert was sent to parents around 1:39 p.m. via text and read, “Clifford Elementary School is on lockdown. Sheriff’s Deputies on on scene. YOUR STUDENTS ARE SAFE. Please stay out of the area.”
At 2:02 p.m., parents received a follow-up message informing them that the lockdown had been lifted.
School operations and dismissal then returned to normal schedule.
"We appreciate the support and understanding of our Clifford parents and the school's community as we followed protocol for the safety of our staff and students," said RCSD Director of Communications Jorge Quintana.
The specific details of the student's threat are unclear. The sheriff's office declined to comment on the nature of the threat.
