Election Day voters in Blaine County were met with a lockdown of every polling station on a school district campus Tuesday morning thanks to what police dispatch scanners said were the popping of balloons at Wood River Middle School in Hailey. Before the balloon popping noises were identified as such, law enforcement arrived on the scene and each BCSD school went into lockdown mode.
According to the county elections office, the shutdown of the schools (and the polls) occurred around 10:40 a.m. At 11:30 a.m., Hailey Police Department released a statement on their social media page. It said what follows:
“WRMS Lockdown HAS BEEN LIFTED. All Students and Staff are Safe. 5/17/22 @ 11:30 a.m. No injuries have been reported and no individuals with weapons have been located.
Officers are on the scene inside the building securing and clearing every room. The School District has announced that afternoon classes will resume. Parents who wish to check their students out for the remainder of the day can do so through the school office.”