HARVEY, La. — Social media posts started spreading Monday about a man hiding in a bathroom ceiling prompting a search and lockdown at Woodmere Elementary School in Harvey.
WWL Louisiana reached out to the Jefferson Parish School District and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office on this one. The sheriff's office says they were notified Monday by the school that some students reported seeing a man looking down on them from the ceiling in one of the bathrooms.
The sheriff's office responded and used cameras to search the open spaces above the ceiling.
JPSO released the following statement to WWL Louisiana:
“Yesterday, JPSO responded to a report of a possible trespasser in the attic of a building on the school campus of Woodmere Elementary in Harvey. A thorough search of the campus and building was conducted, and no evidence of a trespasser was found. The area of the ceiling in which the trespasser was allegedly seen did not appear to have the structural integrity to support the weight of an individual. Several children who reported seeing something were interviewed, and they provided varying and inconsistent statements about the appearance of the alleged trespasser. After the search and interviews were conducted, the school was released from lockdown.”
During the search, the school did go on lockdown, which the district says was a precaution. Jefferson Parish Schools released this statement to WWL Louisiana.
The statement reads:
“Yesterday, we were made aware of the possibility of a suspicious person on Woodmere School’s campus. The school immediately contacted JPSO following the District’s procedures. JPSO and district personnel were on site and conducted a sweep of the campus. The school was put on lockdown until the sweep was completed as a precautionary measure. In Jefferson Parish Schools, the safety of our students and employees is our top priority, and we take any and all threats seriously. It has been determined that no threat was substantiated. Our school administrative team contacted parents yesterday and has stayed in communication with parents to assure them that our campus is safe. Jefferson Parish Schools encourages all students and staff members to report any behavior they deem odd or strange to a campus administrator.”
While, yes, there were reports of someone in a bathroom ceiling and a search by the sheriff's office, no person was found or believed to have ever been in the ceiling.
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