Harvard school lockdown lifted after nearby barricade situation

A lockdown at a far northwest suburban Harvard school was lifted Thursday after earlier barricade situation in the area.

Washington School, 305 S. Hutchinson St., was “under a soft lockdown for the afternoon” because of police activity nearby, according to a statement issued at 1:13 p.m. by Harvard Community Unit School District 50. No one was allowed to enter or exit the building while it was in place.

The school day continued like normal and police lifted the lockdown by 2:45 p.m., in time for students to take their regular bus routes home, district officials said.

Washington school serves children between 3 and 5 years old in a Pre-K program, according to the district’s website.

Harvard Police Chief Mark Krause said officers were in the area responding to a potentially suicidal person who had barricaded himself inside a home and implied that he had a weapon. Officers first made contact with the person about noon, and he was taken to a hospital by 2:30 p.m.

No firearms were found in the home and no injuries were reported, Krause said.