BURNET, Texas — Editor's note: The video published above talks about a safety and security summit held in January 2020 by the founders of a group called Safe and Sound Schools.
Burnet High School was given an all clear after being on lockdown due to a "possible weapon in a specific area of campus," according to Burnet CISD officials.
BCISD Superintendent Keith McBurnett said at approximately 10:30 a.m., the district was made aware of an anonymous report that a gun was brought to school by a student. McBurnett said the report indicated a specific campus location and grade level. After getting the anonymous report, the school was placed on lockdown, which included students remaining in classrooms and the campus being closed to all visitors, McBurnett said.
Burnet County sheriff deputies were assisted by the Burnet Police Department and other agencies to conduct a sweep of the campus, according to BCSO. Police searched all classrooms and student bags, utilizing both a visual search and metal-detecting wands, according to McBurnett. All lockers on campus were also opened and searched.
After completing a sweep of the school, officials said no weapon was found and there was not a credible threat to student safety. Burnet High School's lockdown was lifted shortly after 1 p.m., McBurnett said.
Other BCISD campuses briefly went into lock-out, also sometimes called "shelter in place," until school officials were able to receive confirmation from Burnet Police Department that no threat existed to any other campus, according to BCISD officials.
“I want to commend the outstanding partnership between Burnet CISD and the Burnet Police Department,” said McBurnett. “We are proud to provide a School Resource Officer on every campus as part of our comprehensive safety and security plan. Our preparation and coordinated efforts ensure that students are safe, and that we are able to fully respond to reported threats immediately.”
Superintendent McBurnett issued the following statement to parents on Friday:
Dear Parents,
The Burnet Police Department has completed their search of Burnet High School. No weapon was found, and they believe no credible threat to student safety exists. The campus will resume normal operations.
Students are being released from classrooms and will be provided lunch on an alternate schedule. Because no threat to safety exists, class schedules will resume from the current period of the day, and will continue through normal release time. Police will have an increased presence on campus through the remainder of the day as an additional support and assurance to the school community.
Parents may choose to check students out if the parent comes in-person with a valid photo ID that matches emergency contact information on file. We anticipate that early check-out could require a significant wait, and we encourage families to allow their student to complete the school day. I want to let you know my own BHS student will remain on campus for the remainder of the day.
The traffic pattern and procedures for early pick-up car traffic will be modified so that the only entrance and exit is via The Green Mile. Parents will remain in their car and students will be escorted to the car after verification of parent ID. Please be attentive and responsive to the direction of officers and staff members during this alternate pick-up procedure. Student drivers are not permitted to leave campus until the end of the school day unless a parent has come in person to check them out.
We are thankful for our partnership with BPD that allows us to ensure that student safety remains our first priority.
Sincerely,
Keith McBurnett, Superintendent of Schools
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