Tyler Elementary School dismisses students under ‘soft lockdown’ after employee receives ‘threatening messages’

DeKALB - Tyler Elementary School was placed on what school officials called a “soft lockdown” Friday afternoon in DeKalb, after an employee received threatening text messages, district officials said.

No one was allowed in or out of the building, according to a message sent to school families Friday. Officials said was no immediate threat to students and an updated plan for dismissal was sent out which included police escorts and members of the district’s Crisis Response Team.

“We are currently on a soft lockdown, meaning there is no entry or exit of our building at this time,” stated an email sent by administration secretary Jackie Pringle to Tyler Elementary on Alden Circle parents and guardians around 3:15 p.m. Friday. “There is no immediate threat to our students inside the building.”

Superintendent Minerva Garcia-Sanchez district officials decided to initiate a soft locked after being notified that a Tyler employee had received threatening text messages. She declined to provide detail on what the messages said.

“A staff member received multiple threatening text messages from an unknown party, and that person told administration, who then reached out to the district,” Garcia-Sanchez said Friday. “To make sure there would be no harm to anyone in the building, we immediately put the school building on a soft lockdown.”

Tyler families were emailed shortly after 5 p.m. Friday by school Principal Robyn Timmerman that all students arrived home safely as of 4:40 p.m.

“At no time was a threat made towards the safety of our students,” Timmerman said in her email. “Due to a personal threat that was made towards one of our staff members, we took an abundance of caution to ensure student and staff safety during dismissal at the end of the day.”

Timmerman said the school is continuing to work with DeKalb police on the issue and thanked parents with dismissal.

Tyler students were released Friday through an updated dismissal procedure sent to families in that 3:15 p.m. email. Dismissal time is usually 3:30 p.m. Fridays. Students were escorted one by one by DeKalb police and the district’s Crisis Response Team to buses or waiting cars, and their names were announced on a loudspeaker so parents could expect their child.

“Please stay in your cars, do not exit your vehicles and do not approach the building during the dismissal process,” the email stated.

Parents or guardians who usually walk with their children had to pick them up in a vehicle, school staff confirmed. Students weren’t allowed to walk home without a parent or guardian.

Garcia-Sanchez said that controlling who went in and out of the building was the easiest way to protect those inside.

“Keeping everyone safe is our number one priority,” she said. “It’s always better to err on the side of caution and take extra measures to make sure no harm is done.”

She recommends parents talking to their children about school safety once they are safely at home.

“There was never any harm to them, and we took every precaution we could,” Garcia-Sanchez said.

This story was updated at 6:45 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4, 2022 with additional information from Tyler Elementary School Principal Robyn Timmerman.