ST MARYS, Ga. – Mary Lee Clark Elementary School in Camden County was placed on a precautionary lockdown Thursday morning due to nearby law enforcement activity following a traffic stop, according to the Camden County Sheriff’s Office and Camden County Schools.
The sheriff’s office said a deputy was conducting a traffic stop near Colerain Road and St. Marys Road when three of the four people in the vehicle ran from the scene. One person, the driver, had been apprehended, and deputies were searching for the other three, the agency said.
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Camden County Schools said the lockdown was precautionary and that the activity “did not originate on our campus.” District officials said students and staff already on campus were secure inside the building. The district also said students walking to school who were already in the immediate area would be brought safely inside.
School buses for Mary Lee Clark Elementary were temporarily rerouted to St. Marys Middle School while the area was being cleared, officials said.
Later, the district announced law enforcement had given the all-clear and the lockdown was lifted. Camden County Schools said students who remained at St. Marys Middle School would be transported by bus to Mary Lee Clark Elementary, and families of all other students could safely bring their students to the elementary school.
The school resumed normal operations for the remainder of the day, the district said, adding that absences related to the incident will be excused.
Some parents News4Jax spoke with off camera decided to keep their children home for the day.
Others felt comfortable sending their children back to school after learning that the situation had been cleared.
“He was like I’m not staying inside and I’m like not anymore we get to go to school now everything is safe and you know the cops have everything under control and your teachers can’t wait to see you,” Dani Eveline, a student’s mother said.
The sheriff’s office is continuing to investigate the traffic stop and search for the 3 people who fled the scene.