CPS parent wants better communication after incident at Battle Elementary

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A parent at Columbia Public Schools is calling for better communication from the district after a scare at Battle Elementary School on Tuesday afternoon.

The incident happened around 2 p.m. after students heard suspicious sounds in the woods nearby.

CPS Spokesperson Michelle Baumstark said that some first graders were at recess when they heard the noises.

"The students were pulled inside as a precaution. The incident was reported to CPS safety and security and law enforcement for investigation," Baumstark said. "Students are safe and continued their day inside.

Baumstark said there is a shooting range nearby and that could have potentially been the source of the suspicious noises.

One parent said that her child called her saying that there was an intruder in the school. The student told her mom that they were barricaded in their classroom and putting desks against the door.

"It was sheer panic, there were kids screaming and crying in the background," Chassity Inlow said. "You could just hear that they were terrified. You could hear the shaking in her voice, of just the uncertainty of what was going on and the sheer panic."

Inlow said she rushed to the school after getting the phone call. After picking up her daughter, Inlow said she got a text about 45 minutes later from the school saying that the school was following protocol and looking into the situation and that students were safe.

Inlow said she wishes school leaders contacted parents sooner than they did.