| Firearm report leads to lockdowns | May 23, 2019 |
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| Caitlyn Kelleher, Henry Schwan | Metrowest Daily News |
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Classes resumed at McAuliffe, and there was no immediate threat to the school, according to Mara Gorden, director of Community Development and Operations at the school.
FRAMINGHAM - A report of a man carrying a rifle Thursday morning near Newbury Street and Old Connecticut Path prompted lockdowns at Framingham High School and Christa McAuliffe Charter School. Police found the man shortly after 10 a.m. on Newbury Street, but the weapon was determined to be a BB gun, according to police via the Framingham Fire Department Twitter account. "Framingham Police responded quickly and set up a perimeter. Schools were asked to shelter in place or to be locked down by the Framingham Police Department as a precautionary measure," according to a statement from Framingham Public School Superintendent Bob Tremblay to parents. They were looking for a man "wearing a red/black/gray checkered shirt, possibly carrying a weapon," according to the Framingham Police Department's Twitter account. Police searched around Newbury Street, Old Connecticut Path and Speen Street. The lockdowns started about 9:30 a.m., according to scanner reports. The request was cleared about 10:25 a.m., and schools resumed normal activity. "Some of you may have heard or seen reports about a lockdown at the Christa McAuliffe Charter School. For those that haven't and for an update to our community, there was a report of a man with a rifle near the McAuliffe Charter School this morning," reads the statement from Tremblay. Colleen O'Connell of Ashland rushed over to the McAuliffe Charter School to check on her eighth-grade daughter. A police officer standing outside the front entrance did not let her into the building. "I'm ready to have a nervous breakdown," O'Connell said. Some parents took their children home when they were released. "Heck, yeah. He's not staying here," Kristen Millan of Framingham said, as she headed to car with her sixth-grade son. Classes resumed at McAuliffe, and there was no immediate threat to the school, according to Mara Gorden, director of Community Development and Operations. A parent saw the man in the neighborhood, called police, and the school went into lockdown, Gorden said. "Police were here within minutes," Gorden said. Shelter-in-place is the lockdown protocol at McAuliffe, Gorden said. Students and staff practice a lockdown drill twice yearly. Fedor Beliaev, an eighth-grader at the school, said his class sat quietly in the corner of their room, with the door locked. Beliaev's father, Sergei Beliaev, said he took his son home, because his wife was concerned. "His mom is very nervous. She's concerned about guns in the United States," Sergei Beliaev said. Gorden acknowledged the threat was "very scary," while staff continued to send out text messages and updates to families. "Everyone is safe," Gorden said. Framingham police canceled the request for two search dogs and the State Police Air Wing at about 10:15 a.m. once they located the man they were looking for, according to scanner reports. At@McAuliffeChartr#lockdown@FraminghamPD officer told parent kids are safe inside@metrowestdailypic.twitter.com/64MEL7hl4R - Henry Schwan (@henrymetrowest)May 23, 2019 Police did not returns calls seeking further comment.
Here's the police log entry for it. 1903467 05/23/19 09:27 SUSPICIOUS PERSON: NEWBURY ST, AREA (SEE REPORT) All the cruisers that responded.
One call of a suspicious person that might have a rifle, and you get 18 cruisers.
I was not even aware that it is against the law to carry a rifle in the open.
Let me give you a tip. A school shooter isn't going to display his weapons until he's close enough to kill. Apparently, there wasn't much going on that day anywhere in town. Just think of all the traffic they chased out of their way to respond to this call. Once FPD rang the dinner bell, the whole city was flashing blue lights. One can't help but think how many deep philosophical conversations were broken up at all the donut shops around Framingham.
What a horrible waste of resources.What a pack of idiots! |
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| Framingham Superintendent: 'We Did Our Best To Communicate' With 7 Schools on Lockdown | May 24, 2019 |
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| Superintendent of Schools Bob Tremblay | Framingham Source |
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The following was an email sent to parent on Friday night from Superintendent of Schools Bob Tremblay, after Framingham High and several other Framingham Public Schools were on a lockdown.
*** FRAMINGHAM - The purpose of this correspondence is to follow-up on an incident that took place yesterday outside of our school community but nonetheless impacted the Framingham Public Schools. As you may know and in an abundance of caution, the Framingham Police Department directed some of our schools to shelter in place or lock down (Framingham High School, Cameron and Walsh Middle Schools, Barbieri, Dunning, Hemenway, and Stapleton Elementary Schools) or take no action at all when it was reported that an individual was in possession of a weapon in the area around Christa McAuliffe Charter School yesterday morning. Although we did our best to communicate with our school community in real time with the information that was available to us at the time, we have learned from this experience, and we can and will continue to improve the ways in which we communicate. Since yesterday morning, we have been engaging in debriefing meetings and will be continuing the discussion with first responders as well as the entire district leadership team next week. We sincerely appreciate the cooperation and partnership with the Framingham Police Department who responded immediately to the situation and worked to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and administrators. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to ensure clear communication and operational protocols. Scott Penrod, Framingham Public Schools Director of Safety and Security, will be presenting an update on procedures and protocols for the district at the School Committee meeting on July 17, 2019. While we will not disclose specific details that could compromise our district's safety and security measures, Mr. Penrod will provide an update that highlights efforts and next steps to ensure the safety of our entire school community. In addition, in honor of Memorial Day, please be reminded that all schools are closed on Monday, May 27th. Memorial Day ceremonies are important, but our gratitude should expand beyond one-day events and instead be expressed all year long. The best way to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice is by treating the living well. We hope you have a nice long weekend, and we look forward to seeing your children on Tuesday, May 28th. Superintendent of Schools Bob Tremblay
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| Framingham School Locked Down For Man With BB Gun: PD | May 23, 2019 |
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| Samantha Mercado/Patch | Framingham Patch |
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FRAMINGHAM, MA - The search for a man who was reported to have a rifle near Christa McAuliffe Charter School on Thursday morning ended after it turned out to be a man with a BB gun on his own property, according to a statement issued by the city. The school was placed on lockdown during the search as a precaution, the city said.
Framingham Superintendent Robert Tremblay sent an email to parents that said the man was in custody and the gun was confiscated. The man was not arrested, police said. The lockdown designation was lifted around 10:30 a.m. Parents were be notified via email. Tremblay said classes will resume as normal throughout the day. Before the man was identified, Framingham police warned residents to be on the lookout for a man who may have had a rifle in the area of Speen Street and Newbury Street on Thursday morning. Police said the incident lasted about an hour and a half in total. Framingham's Deputy Chief addressed the situation in a statement made by the city, "I want to commend the people who saw something and said something," said Deputy Chief Ronald S. Brandolini. "By calling the Framingham Police Department immediately, we were able to identify the individual and make a determination that there was no threat." The man was taken into custody for questioning and his BB gun was confiscated by police. He was not arrested.
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