Police conduct sweep of Lynn high schools

LYNN ? The city’s four public high schools went into temporary lockdown Friday when the Police Department in conjunction with the School Department, the Essex County Sheriff’s Department and other local law enforcement agencies conducted school safety checks.Officials swept through Classical High, English High, Fecteau-Leary and Lynn Vocational Technical Institute as part of the School Safety Check program, which is in its sixth year. Its objective is to provide a safe environment to keep schools safe, orderly and drug free.Students, for the most part, remained in their classrooms while four teams in each school, each comprised of four K-9 officers, a Lynn police officer and a school department administrator swept through the schools.The schools were systematically checked for weapons and drugs. The K-9 dogs, led by their handlers, conducted checks in the hallways of the schools with particular attention paid to school lockers, common areas, cafeterias, bathrooms and gymnasiums. A minimum of four classrooms were searched, which required students to exit the room while leaving their belongings behind.According to Lynn police, no drugs or weapons were seized at any of the schools as a result of the searches.