McDowell County Schools Lift Lockdowns After Police Clear All Campuses

All McDowell County Schools were placed on precautionary lockdowns at the direction of local 911 officials Thursday morning, then cleared campus by campus as the McDowell County Sheriff's Department checked each location. By 11:15 a.m. on March 13, the district confirmed that all lockdowns had been lifted.

The lockdowns were described as precautionary from the outset. In an initial announcement, the district said students and staff were safe and following established procedures. Officials asked families not to come to school campuses during the lockdown, noting that students cannot be released while a lockdown is in effect.

Sandy River Middle School and River View High School were among the campuses explicitly confirmed as clear, with the district stating that instruction would continue as normal at both locations. The clearance process was sequential: the McDowell County Sheriff's Department approved releases as law enforcement physically checked and cleared each campus. WVNS 59News reported that there was no ongoing threat.

The district said it would continue updating families as each campus was cleared and urged families to follow the official district page for the latest information. No district spokesperson or sheriff's department official was quoted by name in initial reports, and the specific cause that prompted the 911 direction to lock down the schools was not disclosed.

The cause behind the original 911 direction, the precise time the lockdowns began, and a full accounting of every campus affected remain unclear. The McDowell County Sheriff's Department had not issued a named public statement as of the initial reporting.