Update, 3:09 p.m. Reports of a student armed with a gun near West Salem High School triggered a lockdown for five nearby schools Friday afternoon, the Salem Police Department said in a news release. The agency did not clarify in its statement whether the student did have a gun and if they were arrested. Aaron Harada, spokesman for the Salem-Keizer School District, said Friday afternoon that he didn’t know if the student was armed, what school they attended or if any arrests were made. Police and the Salem-Keizer School District received reports Friday afternoon that “a student with a firearm may be near but outside of West Salem High School,” according to the police statement.  West, Straub Middle School and Kalapuya, Chapman Hill and Harritt elementary schools went into lockdown between 12:30 p.m. and 12:45 p.m. West’s lockdown was condition 2, generally meaning a threat is reported on campus but outside the school. During such lockdowns, classes stop, students go into classrooms and lock doors and windows are covered. “During a portion of the lockdown, students sheltered in place as part of our safety protocols,” the school district said in an email to impacted schools. Salem officers and Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies went looking for the student as they received reports that the student was on foot near the school. They also assigned canine officers and deployed drones to find the student. The lockdowns were lifted at 1:12 p.m. Friday. “The student was eventually located without incident and the investigation is ongoing,” Salem police said in the statement. “I know this is concerning news to hear. Please know that school safety is our most important priority, and we will always take every possible measure to keep everyone safe,” Harada said in the email to families. People can use SafeOregon to make a confidential report about a safety concern by calling or texting 844-472-3367. Tips also can be emailed to [email protected] or submitted on the SafeOregon app.  Update, 1:15 p.m. All students and staff are safe and lockdowns have been lifted at all five schools, Salem-Keizer School District spokesman Aaron Harada said. He did not provide additional information about what prompted the lockdowns. Original story below: Five schools in West Salem, including West Salem High School, were Friday afternoon, school officials said. “We are working with law enforcement to investigate a report. Please do not come to the school. We will provide more information as we learn more,” the district said in a message to West High parents. Also on lockdown are Straub Middle School and Kalapuya, Chapman Hill and Harritt elementary schools. A district message to parents cited “police activity in the area” as the reason for the lockdown. “Our school is currently in a lockdown due to police activity in the area. At this time we are working closely with our district safety and security personnel and law enforcement. Out of an abundance of caution, we are implementing heightened security at our school while the investigation is ongoing,” a message sent to Chapman Hill families read. District spokesman Aaron Harada provided the message and said he would update about the cause of the lockdowns when he had more information. He did not respond to a questions about the level of the lockdown, which generally indicates the severity of the threat. Salem police did not immediately respond to questions about what prompted the lockdowns. Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. The post UPDATE: Report of armed student outside West Salem HS prompts lockdown appeared first on Salem Reporter.