On Friday afternoon, William Floyd High School experienced a malfunction in its automated lockdown system. The system mistakenly broadcasted a pre-recorded message indicating an actual lockdown was underway. According to the school district, this was not initiated by any personnel but was due to an audio component failure.
Superintendent Kevin M. Coster clarified that if a real lockdown had been initiated, there would have been several indicators such as strobe lights and notifications to the police department, none of which occurred. "Initial findings of the investigation revealed that this malfunction was caused by an audio component failure in the system," he stated.
The incident coincided with rumors about a fight at Dunkin’ Donuts near the school. Coster addressed these rumors by explaining that such incidents might prompt a temporary "hold-in-place" but not a full lockdown unless there was an imminent threat. He added, "While there has been police activity in the vicinity of our schools in the past, we have never called a lockdown for such an incident."
This event also raised questions about the ongoing metal detector installation project at William Floyd High School. The superintendent reported positive progress on this pilot project, with three units currently being rotated among various entrances daily. Full delivery of all units is expected within the next month, with plans to expand implementation to middle and elementary schools.
Coster reassured the community that measures are being taken to prevent future malfunctions and encouraged vigilance through their Confidential Hotline for anonymous tips.