T-shirt triggers lockdown

EMMETT - Two schools went into lock down Wednesday, but school officials are staying quiet about what exactly caused the incident.

Many parents called NewsChannel 7 after getting a letter, explaining there was a request by the Gem County Sheriff's Office for the lockdown.

The note goes into very little detail and claims the action is “confidential.”

After making calls to the sheriff's office, chief deputy, and school superintendent, the Emmett police chief finally told us Shadow Butte Elementary and Emmett Junior High were both closed for a time Wednesday morning.

He says no threats were made -- and no charges are being filed, but say a parent showed up at a school board meeting last night wearing a t-shirt that read:  “Columbine, Amish and Shadow Butte.”  Both Columbine and an Amish school were involved in incidents of school violence.

He says the parent that wore the shirt had problems with administrators.

That parent showed up at the schools Wednesday, and as a precaution those schools went under lockdown.

The mother of one first grader is frustrated by the lack of information.

"How do they keep it confidential when our children are at that school, whose privacy is at risk,” Dawn Findahl said.

Findhal’s daughter described the tense moments during the school lockdown.

"At first (there was a) level one lockdown and the teacher locked the door,” sixth grader Heather Findahl said. “And we had to go into the closet she shut all the lights off so it was creepy 20 minutes later they said ‘you can start teaching now, but we are still under lock down.'"

The police chief told us because of privacy laws he cannot discuss what happened to the parent. We should know more Thursday.