A mistake caused a smartphone application that links school staff to law enforcement to trigger a false alarm Thursday.
A staff member at Albert Schweitzer Elementary School in Middletown’s Levittown section was testing the emergency response feature on the app in the morning when the incident happened. Once the emergency feature was activated, the Bucks County dispatch center in Ivyland was contacted and nearby schools were put on lockdown, according to the Neshaminy School District and police.
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“There was NO emergency or threat, and emergency services was immediately notified of this error,” a note to parents read.
Neshaminy spokesperson Chris Stanley told LevittownNow.com the app is part of the district’s security efforts and is designed to alert authorities of problems at schools.
The new app being rolled out in Neshaminy is linked with nearby schools and alerts them of any reported problems, triggering the lockdowns Thursday, Stanley said. He added the other schools quickly learned the alert was a mistake.
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“All is fine,” Middletown police Chief Joseph Bartorilla said.
