Gladwyne Elementary Locks Down, Reopens

Gladwyne Elementary School was briefly put under lockdown on Wednesday afternoon after Lower Merion police determined that the subject of an arrest warrant was nearby, district spokesman Doug Young told Patch.

Young said the school received a call from police at about 1:20 p.m., informing them that there was a "person of interest" in the Gladwyne area.

According to Lower Merion public information officer Tom Walsh, Philadelphia Police had been tracking the subject's cellphone and determined that the person were likely within 1,700 meters—about a mile—of the school. Philadelphia Police then contacted Lower Merion Police.

Lockdown of the school began at 1:30 p.m., at which point police searched Gladwyne Elementary and ultimately cleared it. According to Walsh, this was done out of an abundance of caution: authorities did not believe the individual had particular interest in the elementary school.

The lockdown ended, according to Young, at approximately 2:15 p.m., and students and staff were allowed to move around the building under normal operating procedures. Walsh added that the exterior doors of the school will remain locked until dismissal, and Lower Merion Police will stay at the school until the students leave.

Walsh said the warrant was for a domestic offense, and Lower Merion Police are assisting Philadelphia Police in their search for the subject.