Clinton School district placed on soft lockdown after misinformation alert by IDOC

CLINTON, Ill. (WCIA) — The Clinton School District was placed on a soft lockdown Thursday morning after the police chief said a mistake was made by the Illinois Department of Corrections.

The Clinton School District said on Facebook that around 9:30 a.m., the high school, junior high and elementary schools were notified by the Clinton Police Department to begin soft lockdown procedures. There was no imminent threat within the schools, officials said, but there was a concern within the outside community

Clinton Police Chief Ben Lowers told WCIA that his department received an alert from the Department of Corrections, which prompted them to notify the school. However, the IDOC later informed the department that a clerical error had been made and there was no actual emergency.

The soft lockdown was lifted after about 50 minutes, the school district said.

“Safety is our primary concern at all times and we appreciate our trained staff for implementing this protocol,” school officials said. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to your building administrators or the Unit Office.”

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