Students sat at desks quietly taking practice SAT and SAT tests on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at Woodside High School. They were in the midst of the school's annual "College and Career Day" when one teacher noticed a custodian come and lock their door.

The teacher approached the custodian and asked what was going on. "We're going into lockdown," the custodian replied. This was the beginning of about two hours of police presence on the campus while the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office swept classrooms for what turned out to be a false "swatting" call.

Police said they received a call on the morning of Oct. 12 that there was a possible active shooter on campus. At 10:58 a.m. the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office sent out an emergency alert that police were sweeping the school, located at 199 Churchill Ave. in Woodside, as a precaution. They noted in the alert that there was no active threat and everyone was safe.

A teacher told The Almanac that shortly after this there was an announcement from Principal Karen van Putten over the loudspeaker that the school was on lockdown, and she noted that there didn't appear to be an actual threat.

The Almanac reached out to the teacher, who agreed to be interviewed about their lockdown experience only if their name was withheld in the story. The Almanac agreed in order to give readers an insider's account of the day's events.

College and Career Day is not a typical day for the school. None of the students are in their typical classrooms: some were out on visits to local four-year colleges like University of California at Santa Cruz or San Francisco State University. Others were on campus taking the PSAT and SAT standardized tests. Students who score highly on the PSAT can qualify for the National Merit Scholarship to help pay for college.

Van Putten sent the following message to families of students who took the tests on Oct. 12:

"First and foremost, we would like to offer our apologies that the hoax and subsequent interruptions occurred at all, let alone during an important test," she said. "We understand that students experienced difficulties and their performance on the test could be affected. ... Though we are not sure what options (the) College Board will offer to students, Woodside will cover any costs and host retakes as well."

The College Board, which develops, administers and scores the tests, advised the school to take the following steps, according to van Putten:

• Send all materials for students who began the test to the College Board for scoring.

• Submit an irregularity report per College Board practice (which the school has done). The report explains that the entire campus experienced a "secure campus" for 90 minutes. During this time, doors were locked, students were not able to leave, and law enforcement officers canvassed the tinto every room on campus to "clear" the room during the test.

The College Board will review the reports and will send a letter and email to students who were affected to share the options available to them, van Putten said.

Any student who would like to request that their test not be scored can contact College Board's phone for parents and students at 1-888-225-5427. The College Board recommends calling before Wednesday, Oct. 19. They may choose to share the specifics of the irregularity report shared above.

Sweeping of the school

The teacher who spoke with this publication said colleagues approached by police said officers were mostly calm and peaceful. Others took a more aggressive approach by pounding on doors and shouting, some walking into classrooms forcefully with their weapons raised, they said.

"There were several students who found the experience challenging emotionally," they said. One student was in tears and had to be excused from the test and sent to the nurse's office, the teacher said.

The Almanac has reached out to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office for comment on their officers' approach to entering classrooms.

The teacher said their classroom, in which they continued proctoring the test with another teacher during the lockdown, was not cleared by police.

Some students on field trips visiting colleges reported they were concerned for their friends on campus or for their parents who were guest speakers on campus for the day, the teacher said.

The Menlo-Atherton High School student newspaper, the M-A Chronicle, wrote about the threat at Woodside High and reported that some students who were taking PSAT or SAT tests were particularly anxious that they could not contact their families during the lockdown, because, according to the College Board's protocol, they aren't allowed to use their phones. One Woodside student told the M-A Chronicle that she wrote a note to her family on a Post-it Note that she loved them during one of the testing breaks for fear that she wouldn't be able to speak to them again.

Similar reports at other schools

Five other Bay Area schools got threatening phone calls on Oct. 12 as well.

South San Francisco High School and Lincoln High School in San Jose reported receiving similar swatting calls on Wednesday morning.

NBC Bay Area reported that there were also unfounded threats made toward George Washington High School in San Francisco, one high school in Fremont and McClymonds High School in Oakland.

Jacob Trickett, the Sheriff's Office's Investigations Bureau commander, said that police are actively investigating the Woodside High incident and working with regional law enforcement to determine any possible relation to other events.

Lockdown drills at schools

In early October, the Las Lomitas Elementary School District governing board approved comprehensive safety plans for La Entrada Middle School and Las Lomitas Elementary School. It removed full scale drills and simulations, and it will no longer conduct unannounced drills with students, to adhere to trauma-informed practices and protect the social-emotional health and wellness of students.

"Students and staff may experience anxiety when anticipating and participating in drills," according to the elementary school safety plan. "School leaders should take explicit steps to minimize the impact of drills on students and staff."

Additionally, staff training and preparation for lockdown and secure campus incidents are now done outside of school hours and in collaboration with police, Las Lomitas officials said.