No evidence there was suspicious person inside Pittsburgh Carmalt PreK-8 after evacuations, PPS says

PITTSBURGH — For the past several days, 11 Investigates has been questioning the Pittsburgh Public School District about the incident at Carmalt School where a masked intruder allegedly got into the building.

Chief Investigative Reporter Rick Earle had learned through multiple sources that there was never an intruder in the school.

The district finally confirmed to 11 Investigates today that was indeed the case.

Just last week, Pittsburgh School Police along with Pittsburgh Police and concerned parents rushed to Carmalt School in Overbrook after reports of a masked intruder.

The school was immediately placed on lockdown and students were then evacuated to the nearby Brookline Recreation Center as police swept the building room by room.

They didn’t find anyone.

Friday, more than a week after the incident, the district confirmed to 11 Investigates that there was never any intruder.

In a letter sent to parents, the district said there was no evidence to substantiate reports of an unauthorized person on campus, even though the school police chief said at the time that they had a picture of the intruder wearing a mask inside the school building.

The district said that was a staff member.

“I heard they broke through the window and they had a bandana. That’s ridiculous, just to get everybody so wound up,” said one woman we spoke with in Brookline.

“In this day and age, we have so much to be worried about in the safety of our children, the fact that something like this can even be made up is a darn shame because as parents sending our kids to school, we are always a little worried,” said a parent.

Some parents also acknowledged today that they want the district to be proactive but they wished the district would have vetted or confirmed the information before sounding that alarm.

In the letter to parents, the Superintendent acknowledged the fear it may have caused.

“We regret any distress this incident may have caused and remain dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of safety in our schools,” said Dr. Wayne Walters.

The district said in the letter to parents that it is now considering assigning school security guards at Carmalt and installing more security cameras to enhance safety.

“You always want to be vigilante, but this doesn’t seem like there was any vigilance whatsoever and that’s worrisome,” said one parent.

Prior to this incident, there were no security guards stationed at Carmalt.

The district said today it’s now considering assigning them to the K-8 school.

In the meantime, the district said there a police presence will remain at the school until there’s a permanent solution.

You can read the full letter below:

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