Woman arrested after brief lockdown at Coeur d'Alene elementary school

A brief but unsettling lockdown at Skyway Elementary ended in minutes Monday after a woman jumped the fence onto the Coeur d’Alene campus, forcing staff to lock down the school and alert police.

School employees recognized the woman when she entered the property around 3:15 p.m. on April 20, 2026, after she scaled the fence at 6621 Courcelles Parkway. Local reporting identified her as 38-year-old Stephanie A. Sokolowski of Coeur d’Alene. She had previously been trespassed from the school because of custody issues involving her children, according to the information released after the incident.

The lockdown lasted about five minutes. Police later stopped Sokolowski near the intersection of North Ramsey Road and West Dalton Avenue after she drove away from the school area before officers arrived. She was reportedly arrested for trespassing and eluding. No injuries were reported.

The incident put a spotlight on how quickly a school can move from a normal afternoon to a security response, and how much depends on staff recognition, perimeter control and communication with law enforcement. Skyway Elementary, part of Coeur d’Alene Public Schools, sits at 6621 Courcelles Parkway in Coeur d’Alene and serves families who expect fast notice when a threat or disruption develops.

District officials say they wait to confirm emergency information with school staff, law enforcement or first responders before sending updates to families and the community. In a situation that began with a fence jump and ended with a traffic stop a few blocks away, the key questions now center on how the campus perimeter was breached, how quickly the lockdown was communicated, and how families were told their children were safe once the situation was brought under control.

For Skyway, the episode was over within minutes. For parents, it served as a reminder that even a short breach can test the speed and clarity of a school’s emergency procedures.