Police descended Friday afternoon upon a high school in west Edmonton, which was placed in lockdown over the noon hour and an injured student was taken to hospital.
The Edmonton Police Service said around noon, officers responded to an “incident” at Jasper Place High School.
Multiple people outside the school told Global News they heard someone was stabbed in the “square,” which a student said is a gathering area inside.
A photo shared with Global News showed the hallway to the square was blocked off as police investigated on the other side.
About half a dozen police cruisers were spotted outside the school at 163 Street and 89 Avenue, where an audible alarm and announcement was being played outside saying the school was on lockdown.
A text to parents over the noon hour said an incident occurred at the school and it was on lockdown, but kids were safe.
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One student was treated and taken to hospital with undetermined injuries, police said, adding no additional injuries have been reported at this time.
Police did not confirm what happened to the student. EPS did say a suspect was found nearby and has been taken arrested.
JP, along with neighbouring schools in the Meadowlark area including St. Francis Xavier Catholic High School next door, were placed on lockdown as a precaution.
Around 1:30 p.m. EPS said there was no additional threat to students or the public.
Edmonton Public Schools said they put the high school on lockdown around 12:15 p.m. at the request of EPS, after the student was hurt.
“The division takes incidents like this very seriously and the safety of students and staff is our top priority,” EPSB said in a statement.
Generally in Canada, efforts are made to minimize access and visibility throughout a school during a lockdown.
The school’s outer doors are locked and students are kept in classrooms or designated waiting areas.
Lights are turned off, curtains or blinds are closed and all windows are covered to obscure visibility into classrooms. Typically, cellphone use is restricted and school phones are not answered.
Inner doors are locked where possible and only emergency services personnel can enter or exit the building. Staff members are designated to prevent anyone else from leaving the school.
A lockdown is a step up from a hold and secure or an alert, during which the school’s outer doors are locked during a hold and secure but classes continue as normal inside.
Schools either go on alert (if in the Edmonton Public School Division) or a hold and secure (the term used across much of the rest of Alberta) for less serious incidents.
Those occurs when there’s a threat in the general vicinity of a school, but not on, or very close to school property.
A lockdown is a more extreme procedure, when a threat is near or inside a school.
This is a breaking news story. It will be updated.
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