UPDATE 10/18/18 5:05 p.m.: The Wheaton Police Department has not located the individual trying to enter a door at Franklin Middle School earlier this afternoon. The individual, a male Caucasian in his 50s wearing blue jeans, a blue shirt, and a black jacket wearing credentials knocked on a door and tried to enter the school and then unplugged speakers playing music for a PE class. Police are still looking to speak with the individual and are talking with the residents of the neighborhood. The Wheaton Police Department has determined that there is no threat to public safety at this time.
During the timeframe of this incident an individual was arrested for vehicle tampering in the area of Franklin Middle School. This individual was not the same individual related to the Franklin Middle School lockdown.
District 200 Community:
Around 1:30 p.m. today, Franklin Middle School was placed on a lockdown after a staff member reported seeing an individual trying to gain access to Franklin. At the direction of the Wheaton Police Department, all District 200 schools were placed in a "secure and teach." A secure and teach is where all students and staff are asked to remain in their classrooms and visitors are not allowed in the building.
The Wheaton Police investigated the circumstances surrounding the situation and located the individual. The individual involved did NOT gain access to the school, and there is no ongoing threat to the community. The lockdown and secure and teach were lifted around 2:00 p.m.
Safety and security continues to be a top priority in our schools. As a District, we take a multi-faceted approach to safety. Our schools explicitly teach students that if they ever see something or hear something, they should say something. Today, a teacher at Franklin modeled that important behavior by taking action when something didn’t seem right.
For more information about safety and security in District 200, please visit https://www.cusd200.org/.