School Lockdown Prompted

On November 17, 2020 at approximately 9:30 am Parsons High School went into lock down due to a false alarm by a student.

According to reports from concerned students there was an overheard conversation that made mention of persons needing to wear a bullet proof vest.  Parsons Police was notified and investigated the allegations thoroughly. It was soon discovered that the overheard conversation was misinterpreted and reported, which prompted the lock down.

Deputy Chief Dennis Dodd said, "We do not take any allegation of shootings in our school lightly. Students safety is our guiding principle for being involved in USD 503. We will take action for any report we may receive involving our schools, the students, and faculty that attend. I hope that the students involved learn that somethings are not able to be joked about and that the seriousness of their actions can cause alarm."

Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks said, "This may have been a false alarm but the next time it may not. This is why the police respond quickly and take decisive actions in response. The students that reported the conversation did the right thing by following our motto of 'See It, Hear It, Report It'. This is the only way to keep our community safe."

This continues to be an on-going investigation and citizens are encouraged to "See It, Hear It, Report It." If anyone has any further information on this incident or any other criminal activity, please contact the Parsons Police Department at 421-7060 or call the Tip Line at 421-7057 or email at tips@parsonspd.com.

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