I want to take a minute to share more information about today’s lockdown on the Norwich Free Academy campus.

 

As we communicated, the lockdown was initiated just before 1 pm at the request of Norwich Police Department. The lockdown was lifted at 1:40 pm. 

 

The lockdown began when NPD received a threat about the safety of our campus. Out of an abundance of caution, they took action to clear campus to ensure we could focus on the safety of our students and staff. Responding police cleared both our main and Sachem campuses and established that the threat was a hoax. 

 

I provided an update to our students over the PA system within the early minutes of the lockdown. And, once it was lifted, I conducted an online meeting with the entire school community to assure students and staff of their safety and to thank them for their cooperation in what can be a challenging situation to navigate. 

 

I am thankful for the continued support of the Norwich Police Department, and I am grateful for the good work of our team – faculty, staff and administrators – who put their focus first and foremost on our students. 

 

Sincerely,