Lockdown Drill Held At Orchard; No Drugs Found At School

It may have been only a test, but Orchard passed with flying colors. 

A lockdown drill was held Monday afternoon featuring a drug dog going through the facility. According to Superintendent Dale Martin, the drill lasted about 15 minutes and utilized an officer from the O'Neill Police Department, along with a K-9. 

"It's a good service they're providing for us," Martin said. "It's good to have the lockdown drill and to have the check to see if we have any drug activity."

Martin said the drill was for all students at the Orchard site of Clearwater-Orchard Public Schools.

"We had a full lockdown drill, which means all of the students and staff are in their classrooms," he said. "We lock the door, turn off the lights, and they stay away from the windows or are on the floor. We had an officer come in, and he took his drug dog around the locker areas and the athletic locker rooms and the parking lot."

Martin said the lockdown didn't last very long, but it provided a great service to the district. 

"The drug dog works very fast, so within 15 minutes, we had the entire facility covered," he said. "There were no hits and no issues. Everything was clear, so it's good to know that we did not have anything."

Martin said he tries to have a drug dog come into the schools once a year, depending on its availability. Verdigre held a lockdown drill earlier this year, and one is expected at the Clearwater site sometime yet this year.