Photograph: Opelousas High principal Del Timoko Clark Dunbar moves students into vehicle. (Photograph by Freddie Herpin.)
BOBBY ARDOIN
Editor/Consulting Writer
Opelousas High principal Del-Timoko Clark Dunbar was still escorting students from campus into awaiting vehicles late Tuesday afternoon following an afternoon school-wide lockdown and threat of violence that required a city police investigation and additional officers.
Dunbar declined to comment on the incident which School District officials and Opelousas police said in separate press releases occurred when the high school received a threat intended for someone who was apparently on campus at the time.
Five police vehicles and several officers were still at the school at 3:40 p.m. as Dunbar moved students from the building into vehicles.
Some students left the campus for home on buses around the time of regular dismissal, according to a source at the school, but the students who were scheduled to leave in vehicles remained inside until they could be safely transported away.
By 3:35 p.m. only a handful of students remained inside the building awaiting rides home in vehicles.
A press release issued by the District at 3:09 p,m. stated the school building had apparently been cleared and students were safe and being dismissed.
An earlier press release received from the District indicated that resource officers who were already at the school were aware of the phone threat, but additional Opelousas police officers had also responded.
Parents, the press release said, were contacted and asked not to report to the campus while the students were still locked down.
Opelousas police described the matter as a temporary lockdown due to the threat of violence that was reported to the school.
The lockdown, the police press release said, was instituted as a precautionary measure while officers performed further investigation of the threat.
