Police find no threats at Ardrey Kell, Community House schools after lockdowns
Police have “cleared” two south Charlotte schools and say there was no active danger or threat after an apparent hoax prompted lockdowns on Friday.
Ardrey Kell High School and Community House Middle School were on precautionary lockdowns at 12:30 p.m., according to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department news release.
Police gave the all-clear around 1:30.
“Preliminary reports indicate this is a hoax consistent with hoaxes going on nationwide,” CMPD said in a statement.
There was no evidence of a shooting, and officers had not located a threat, police said.
Police said the school district would share information on where to pick up students before dismissal. Community House Middle’s principal said students will be released once “everything is cleared.” Ardrey Kell students were dismissed around 1:15 p.m., about an hour earlier than usual, according to CMS.
Ardrey Kell Principal Jamie Brooks told parents Friday morning about the lockdown. Brooks also said in the message there was possibly an armed person on campus but that was later determined to not be the case by police.
Ardrey Kell is the largest high school in CMS and ranks No. 10 on U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 Best High Schools in North Carolina.
In a message to Community House Middle families, Principal Brian Slattery told parents the school was in lockdown “in an abundance of caution” because of the Ardrey Kell lockdown.
This story was originally published September 22, 2023 at 12:44 PM.
