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EXCLUSIVE: Essex Jewish school locked down following security threat
Kantor King Solomon deployed ‘invacuation’ procedures at the end of the school day
December 14, 2021 11:00
Kantor King Solomon deployed ‘invacuation’ procedures at the end of the school day
December 14, 2021 11:00A Jewish school in Essex locked down students at the end of the school day yesterday following a security threat nearby to the school campus.
According to a letter seen by The JC, Headteacher Hannele Reece reassured parents that were ‘inconvenienced and distressed’ by the lockdown.
Explaining the steps taken by the school, Ms. Reece said:”Yesterday, we received the same intelligence from two separate sources that there would be a threat to the safety of our students at the end of the school day.
“Unfortunately, this came very close to the end of the day, and I was left with almost no decision-making time. In conjunction with the CST and the local police I decided that using invacuation protocols to ensure children were safe in school would give us the time we needed to gain increased police presence on the street.
"It also gave us the time to secure a police dispersal order which meant that any person simply “hanging around” would be legally required to move on. By using the alternative gate and staggering the release of students we allowed students to disperse more easily and took the students away from the location of the threat.”
“There was an incident of dangerous and threatening behaviour outside the swimming pool however this did not involve any of our students or staff.
A parent of a child at the school told The JC that it was the first time they’d experienced anything like this in the two years that their child has been a student and that it was “unusual for a school like Kantor King Solomon, because of the reputation it has for tight security.”
Parents first found out about the incident when they received an email close to school pick-up time, telling them that students were being kept behind due to a security threat.
Concerns were raised by parents that the incident could be antisemitism or terror-related but according to the CST, it was more likely related to antisocial criminality in the local area.
The CST told the JC: “CST received a report from King Solomon school of a threat to the safety of their students, and we worked closely with the school and their on-site security team to advise on their response. At this stage we do not believe the threat to be antisemitic or terror-related, but we will continue to assist the school in their investigation of what occurred.”