Doors at three Winnipeg schools were locked for about 24 hours after a suspicious man entered Centre scolaire Léo-Rémillard Wednesday.
Gabriel Gosselin, a communication agent with the Division scolaire franco-manitobaine (DSFM), said a man who had no business in the school appeared, and when asked leave, made disparaging and inappropriate comments to a teacher.
“It’s a bizarre one,” he told CTV News Thursday afternoon.
Gosselin said the school decided to implement a lockout as a result of the incident. A lockout is when there is a perceived threat from outside of the school. Staff then lock the outside doors, so no one from the outside can enter, Gosselin said.
The lockout was also put in place at École Lacerte and École Christine-Lespérance schools. DSFM says classes continued as normal, and all activities at the schools remained “business as usual”.
As an added precaution, Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning staff escorted students to and from school busses, Gosselin said.
Thursday afternoon, the doors at all three schools were unlocked.
Winnipeg police told CTV News officers spoke with school officials. They say there was no threat, assaults or weapons.
The man is described as white, in his 30s, six feet (183 centimetres) tall with black hair, and a black beard.
He is described as wearing sunglasses, a hoodie pulled over his head, and an orange safety vest with yellow stripes.
No arrests have been made. Anyone with information may call police at 204-986-6222.
