District: Threatening student forces temporary lockdown at Hidden River Middle School

Hidden River Middle School went into temporary lockdown Thursday afternoon in response to a student who was allegedly threatening others with sharpened pencils in the library.

A Monroe School District letter to families stated the middle-schooler had become agitated while inside the school’s library, which was evacuated following the threats, according to MSD spokesperson Tamara Krache; no one was injured.

Snohomish County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Shari Ireton said the pencils were the only tools the student had that were dangerous.

The Monroe School District began releasing information on the situation just before 1 p.m. A modified lockdown was initiated, and students and staff were secured in classrooms. Snohomish County Sheriff's deputies and Monroe Police officers were called in. It was announced 20 minutes later that the student had been confined to the library. Law enforcement took the student into custody in the following half hour.

“The Snohomish County Sheriff is on scene and the student in question is with administrators,” according to MSD. “We will let you know when we have more details to share and when the lockdown has been lifted.”

The child's guardian was contacted, according to the district letter, which hailed the de-escalation process used during the incident as a success.

“We applaud the Hidden River staff and students for flawlessly carrying out the emergency procedures we have in place,” according to the school district's letter. “Because of this and the quick response from law enforcement, no one was injured and the situation ended in a non-violent manner.”

Another Monroe school and one in the Sultan School District responded to potential threats last month, both of which were found to not be credible, and occurred within a week of the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

A Frank Wagner Elementary student reported seeing “a suspicious person in a parked car on their way to school and thought they saw a weapon.” The school and Sky Valley Education Center, which is less than a half-mile from Frank Wagner, were put in a lockout around 8:40 a.m. on Feb. 21. It was lifted 35 minutes later.

Snohomish High School received a violent threat, directed toward a particular person that same day. The Snohomish School District reported the FBI investigated the threat, and determined an online bot generated it.

Counselors are available for students struggling with Thursday's incident at Hidden River, according to the school district.

A meeting is scheduled for families interested in learning more about MSD's protocol for responding to a violent intruder. The session will be held 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 14, at Chain Lake Elementary, at 12125 Chain Lake Road in Snohomish.

“Move, Evade, Defend” is a system developed by the Tactical Training Academy, a state organization that offers affordable tactical training, according to the TTA. The school district is incorporating the program into its emergency drills on campuses this year, according to MSD.