Mistake puts Lexington high schools on lockdown | Lexington Herald Leader

A training error led to a lockdown at two Lexington high schools Friday.

Henry Clay High School and Paul Laurence Dunbar High School were both put on lockdown Friday afternoon after the city’s Emergency Management division accidentally sent an “Intruder Alert” message during a training exercise, the city said.

The message was canceled 30 seconds after being accidentally sent out and the schools were notified, according to the Emergency Management division.

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Alerts are sent through devices that are hooked up through the internet and placed on walls of high schools, the Emergency Management division said. When activated, they flash lights and signal the particular warning.

Dunbar’s student newspaper, PLD Lamplighter, said students were told by their principal that the lockdown was a drill.

Lexington’s outdoor warning system also went off, according to emergency management. The system was quickly shut off.

The error will be investigated by police and representatives of emergency management and Enhanced 911, Public Safety Acting Commissioner Geoff Reed said in a news release.

This story was originally published February 02, 2018 2:37 PM.