Antonia Crater Elementary School, the Chehalem Senior Center, Joan Austin Elementary School and Chehalem Valley Middle School all were briefly put on lockdown Tuesday morning, after local police received a 9-1-1 call from a Crater student reporting another student with a firearm was on the premises.

The student identified as the caller was located by officers and admitted to making a false report, according to a Newberg-Dundee Police Department press release sent out at approximately 11:45 a.m. Tuesday. Police said the initial call had been made at 10 a.m., and officers — some of whom were observed carrying rifles — arrived at the scene shortly thereafter.

"They were there immediately and actually resolved the situation very quickly," Newberg School District spokeswoman Claudia Stewart said of police. "Obviously, we are grateful for the immediate response."

Early on, detectives reportedly received information indicating the caller was actually a student at Joan Austin Elementary School, leading some officers to respond to that location, as well, until the individual was found at Crater.

“Staff, teachers and students responded flawlessly during the event,” NDPD Capt. Jeff Kosmicki said. “School officials and police acted with thought and care for the students during this false report.”

He said police followed the standard protocol calling for all available units to respond to the scene, adding that there will be an increased presence of uniformed officers “in the area of all Newberg schools.”

Stewart said no information regarding the caller's age, grade or identity will be released, pursuant to a district policy aimed at protecting privacy.

“The student made a poor choice," she said, when asked what motivated the misleading 9-1-1 call.
The three involved schools remained on lockdown until approximately 11 a.m.; the senior center was also on lockdown during the incident, according to Chehalem Park and Recreation District spokeswoman Kat Ricker.

School district staff and the NDPD have met to revisit issues of safety and emergency protocols in the wake of last month's shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and Stewart said those contacts "strengthened the relationship" of the two agencies.

“I'm sure this was a frightening experience for some students," she said. "But any threats that come in, the school district and the Newberg-Dundee Police Department have to take very seriously."

By: Tyler Francke, Newberg Graphic