KATY, TX (Covering Katy News) - Four Katy ISD campuses were on Secure Building mode briefly on Monday because Harris County Sheriff's deputies were pursuing a suspect near the campuses.
The campuses were:
- Taylor High School
- Nottingham Elementary School
- West Memorial Junior High
- West Memorial Elementary School
"It was not a lockdown," Katy ISD spokesperson Maria DiPeta said in an email to local media.
A lockdown is when there is an imminent threat inside the building.
In 'secure the building' mode, all doors are locked, and no one can come in or out until it's safe to return to normal, but the instruction day continues as normal inside the school.
Below is a copy of the email sent to Nottingham County Elementary/Guardians earlier today.
April 24, 2023
Dear Nottingham Country Elementary Parents/Guardians and Staff,
This message is to inform you that our campus was briefly placed on "Secure the Building" mode while local law enforcement searched the area for a suspect that is unrelated to our campus.
We did this as it is our standard operating procedure to secure a campus whenever we are informed of a potential external threat near a Katy ISD school.
Students and staff were safe inside the campus building and portables while the instructional day continued on schedule.
Thank you for your patience during this procedure.
Katy ISD