Schools in Avon, Bristol, Plainville and Farmington were placed on lockdown Monday morning while police responded to an attempted bank robbery, bomb scare and home invasion spanning two crime scenes in Bristol and New Britain.
Miss Porter's School in Farmington ordered a "soft lockdown," and Farmington police advised all public schools in town to follow suit. Afternoon kindergarten was canceled and morning kindergarten students were held until the lockdown was lifted, according to the superintendent's office.
"This type of lockdown allows school to proceed as normal," Supt. Kathleen Greider told parents in a letter Monday afternoon. "There is no entry or exit from our school buildings as the Farmington Police deal with this matter."
Greider wrote that students and faculty members were not in danger.
"Police presence will occur at all of our schools as an additional measure," she added.
Avon Police Lt. Kelly Walsh contacted Avon Superintendent Gary Mala at 12:30 p.m. Monday and requested that he "place all schools in a modified ("soft") lockdown position" until further notice, Mala wrote in an email to Avon parents, district staff and community members. Activities continued as normal inside, but no one was allowed in or out of the schools until the lockdown was lifted at 1:30 p.m.
"This request was a precautionary measure in response to a reported incident in the Town of Bristol," Mala wrote in the letter. "The perpetrator of the Bristol incident was identified as traveling in Farmington at the time of Lt. Walsh’s request."
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Avon police were made available to assist Farmington in the investigation involving the New Britain bank and reported Bristol home invasion incidents.
All public schools in Plainville followed "code yellow" procedures, keeping all students and staff inside with the entrance doors locked. Plainville police monitored all schools from the outside.
"We have no indication that there is any threat to our schools in Plainville, but we will take the necessary and reasonable precaution described above," Plainville Supt. Jeff Kitching said in a statement.
The Northeast Middle School and Ivy Drive Elementary were also locked down in Bristol.
