Cowichan Secondary School was briefly placed in hold-and-secure mode Thursday morning after a report that a male had been seen in the area with what appeared to be a firearm.
A hold-and-secure involves locking exterior doors while school activities proceed as normal.
The measure lasted from about 9:20 a.m. to 9:40 a.m., said acting district superintendent Jeff Rowan. Workers at the adjacent construction site for a replacement school were also alerted.
The new $86-million Quw’utsun Secondary — which has the First Nations version of Cowichan as its name — is due to open on Feb. 3.
Rowan said the hold-and-secure was enacted “out of an abundance of caution.”
He said North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP responded quickly and no firearm was found.
