Edmonds police locked down Madrona K-8 school Thursday while searching for two suspects in an attempted burglary at nearby Crescendo School (formerly Woodway Elementary).

Edmonds Police Sgt. Don Anderson said that an employee at Crescendo School, located at 9521 240th St. S.W., reported finding two young men inside the music room just before noon. The suspects fled, apparently empty-handed, and both schools were locked down while police searched the nearby area with a K-9 unit (mainly to avoid scent contamination if students left the building, Anderson noted). No suspects were found and the investigation continues.

According to a letter sent home from Madrona School to parents, the school lockdown was lifted at about 1 p.m. “Since this happened during lunch and recess times, many students were held in areas other than their normal classroom,” Madrona principal Lynda Fischer wrote. “We had about two hundred students moved from the cafeteria into the more secure kitchen area. Middle school students and students at recess were evacuated into the gym.

“All units followed our regular lockdown procedures which included evacuating students to the hallways, doors were locked and windows covered. All students did a good job following directions and remaining calm. Once the lockdown was lifted, we proceeded with our school day with intermediate and middle school students having lunch and then returning to class for normal activities,” Fischer continued.

“I spoke to the students via the intercom, and assured them that our campus was safe and we could resume our normal day. Having said that, a lockdown is not a normal activity and your student may have concerns or questions when they come home. All staff are prepared to answer students’ questions and it was another good opportunity to practice our safety procedures.”