September 24, 2026
Embedded Files
Inside the Lockdown
By: Mia Mueck & Katie Traylen
Editoral Staff
On September 23, 2026 at approximately 11:50 am, South High School was placed under immediate lockdown, following a loudspeaker announcement about police activity in the area. Along with South High, neighboring middle schools Calle Major and Richardson Middle School were told to shelter-in-place.
The police activity was later reported to be in response to a bomb threat at South. The threat was called into the Torrance Police Department around 11:30 am as South's Spartan Seminar came to an end. Following the initial call, the Torrance Police Department notified South High’s administration and students were ordered to remain in their respective classrooms until further notice. After the lockdown began, parents received messages from the Torrance Unified School District, regarding the situation and highlighting that their kids were “SAFE.”
After evacuating from their Spartan Seminar classrooms, students settle in the gym and pavillion on Sept. 23.
While students remained in their seminar rooms the Torrance Police Department began their search of the campus. With a plan to move West, the search began with the Gym and Pavillion. These locations, which were later evacuation sites, were cleared with the help of police dogs.
As the search was conducted, students found different ways to spend the nearly four hours that they were in one classroom. Some rooms watched movies while others were quiet study halls. With friends, students also played games like Hangman and cards.
Though the time elapsed quickly, a main problem emerged as many students had to use the restroom. While on lockdown South students were not allowed to leave the classrooms until they were evacuated to the gym or pavilion after three to four hours. To handle the situation, many teachers set up portable restrooms which consisted of a tent and bucket, though even then many students chose to wait. Eventually, when students were safely led to the primary evacuation locations, the bathroom lines were incredibly long.
At approximately 3:40 pm students were finally released from the Gym and were able to leave the school. Parents and guardians were not allowed to enter the school site to pick up their students. Students without cars walked to secondary locations ie. Ralphs, CVS, or across the bridge towards Richardson, where they waited for an adult guardian.
Many after-school student activities were cancelled for the day including Girls’ Volleyball and Boys’ Water Polo games. Another event cancelled was the Dance Team’s Annual Spaghetti Dinner and Showcase which is an event loved by the South community. The show is now rescheduled for Oct. 1.
At around four in the afternoon, South High School’s Principal, Jim Evans, sent out an email to parents following up on the event. After completing thorough sweeps of the school, the Torrance Police department found “no dangerous items” and the South, Calle, and Richardson campuses were declared “clear and safe.”
We at the Sword and Shield extend our gratitude towards the Torrance Police Department and South High staff and faculty for all of their work to keep our campus and students safe during this event.
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