A Kitchener elementary school was placed in hold and secure Wednesday afternoon due to police action in the surrounding neighbourhood.
The hold and secure was enacted near the end of the school day at Alpine Public School on Lucerne Drive.
A large police presence was seen in the nearby area around Block Line and Strasburg roads, including a tactical unit and police dogs. Their purpose was not immediately clear.
The Waterloo Region District School Board said all staff and students were safe, and would remain in the school until the area had been cleared by police. That happened after about 15 minutes.
A hold and secure is a procedure in which people are not allowed to enter or leave a school building, but may move around freely inside.
