20-05-2025
False alarm at Springfield school causes hard lockdown
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — A false safety alarm led to a brief hard lockdown at a Springfield middle school Tuesday afternoon.
In an email sent out to families of Washington Middle School, Springfield Public Schools PIO Rachel Dyas said that at 12:44 p.m., one of the school's Centegix badge systems was activated. This triggered a hard lockdown at the school for a short time.
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Washington administration immediately responded to the classroom to ensure everyone's safety, and it was found that there was never a real emergency. A badge that was not being worn was unintentionally activated while inside a bag.
The staff was then notified over the intercom in under one minute that there was an all clear.
'The Centegix system is an important safety tool designed to quickly alert staff and emergency responders,' Dyas said. 'Today's activation involved multiple presses, which automatically triggered a full lockdown and notified 911.'
She also said that for smaller incidents, a three-button alert should be used to communicate with the office. Within a three-minute timeframe, the school's administration was able to call 911 and notify law enforcement to inform them that there was no situation that required their assistance.
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