Atlas Elementary on brief safety hold because of nearby incident

Atlas Elementary School was on a safety hold for less than ten minutes Friday afternoon because of a nearby incident involving law enforcement. Students were not allowed outside the building, according to Scott Maben, director of communications for the Coeur d’Alene School District.

“We put Atlas on a safety hold as a precaution,” Maben said. “[The incident] is not at the school or directed at the school. It’s something that’s nearby. Our school resource officer there advised Atlas staff that the school be put on hold, because there’s some incident or activity nearby.”

During a safety hold, all doors leading outside are locked, and recess is modified or cancelled to keeps children indoors. Maben said a safety hold differs from a lockdown because a lockdown indicates immediate danger to the safety of the school’s occupants. In the event of a lockdown, children would be locked inside their classrooms until the danger would pass.

The Press confirmed the safety hold is no longer in effect as of 1:51 pm. We will update this story as it develops.