Tacoma School District carried out modified lockdown Friday as a precaution

Tacoma Public Schools went into a "modified lockdown" Friday as a precaution because of the shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School.

In a modified lockdown, exterior doors stay locked during school hours, while classroom instruction continues.

District spokesman Dan Voelpel said the step was taken “just as a precautionary measure” because of the school shooting in Snohomish County.

“To make sure everything stays calm, we just wanted to do that modified lockdown,” he said.

Another reason for taking the step was that the Tacoma School District has had shootings in the past, most recently in 2010 when a teacher was fatally shot outside Birney Elementary School, Voelpel said.

The lockdown went into effect for the district’s 57 schools at 11:42 a.m. and remained in place until normal dismissal times. Parents were notified by recorded phone messages. Afterschool activities, including athletics, continued as normal.

In a modified lockdown, students’ activities are limited to within school buildings. In a full lockdown, exterior doors and classroom doors are locked and students must lie on the floor away from windows.

Security director Miguel Villahermosa and deputy superintendent Josh Garcia made the decision to implement the modified lockdown.

This story was originally published October 24, 2014 at 12:50 PM with the headline "Tacoma School District carried out modified lockdown Friday as a precaution."