Three Santa Clara schools are back on a regular schedule after a brief scare forced students and staff to shelter in place.
Around 10:30 this morning, Santa Clara police received a report of a suspicious device at Bowers Park, which is located between Bowers Elementary School and Cabrillo Middle School. Police immediately told school administrators at the two schools and nearby Cabrillo Montessori to shelter in place.
“As soon as the shelter in place was requested, our schools initiated their established protocols immediately,” said Jennifer Dericco, Public Information Officer for Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD).
About 80 minutes later, the all clear was given.
“The device was rendered safe by the Santa Clara County Bomb Squad. The shelter in place has been lifted. Thank you for your patience while we investigated the situation,” said a tweet from the Santa Clara Police Department (SCPD) at approximately 11:50 this morning.
“No one was hurt. There was a suspicious item that they worked with, but not deemed to be explosive,” said SCPD Captain Wahid Kazem.
Officers were stationed at each school as a precaution and part of Cabrillo Avenue was briefly closed.
Some concerned parents arrived at the school to monitor the situation themselves or pick up their children. They also asked questions of the officers stationed at the schools.
Dericco says despite the shelter in place, the school activities schedule did not change.
“During a shelter in place, regularly scheduled outdoor activities are kept inside which includes recess, lunch and physical education,” said Dericco. “We thank our partners at the Police Department for their quick response and continued communication with the school district and schools throughout the shelter in place.”