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Incident sees local school students held in class

Hold and secure put in place over noon hour at Ponoka Secondary
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Students at Ponoka Secondary Campus were held in their classrooms for most of their lunch time May 29 after school administration placed the facility in “hold and secure” mode for an incident that has yet to be confirmed. File photo

Students weren’t able to leave their classes to go for lunch after an incident saw Ponoka Secondary go into isolation mode May 28.

Outlined in an email to parents, principal Kathy McTaggart explained there was an event that took place at around 12:05 p.m. at the school that was bad enough for school administration to place the school in a “hold and secure” status. That meant teachers didn’t allow students to leave the classroom until instructed.

The email noted the “hold and secure” continued for 25 minutes “in order to clear the hallways of students in order for an ambulance to gain access to the building” to attend to an individual in need of emergency medical attention.

As result of the “hold and secure,” lunch time was extended for 20 minutes and regular classes resumed at 1 p.m.

In an interview with Wolf Creek Public Schools (WCPS) communications coordinator Vince Burke, it was reiterated that the decision to keep students in their classrooms was done in the interests of keeping the area clear of crowds as well as to make it easier for the ambulance personnel to do their job.

Burke added the incident was only medical in nature and that there was never any threat to anyone.

Parents that have any questions have been encouraged to contact the school.