Search underway for man who tried to get into Maize South Middle School

Authorities were searching for a man who was seen trying to get into Maize South Middle School on Monday afternoon.

The man was seen rattling outside door handles at the school, attempting to gain access to the building, Lori Buselt, director of communications for the Maize school district, said in an e-mail sent to parents.

“He was unsuccessful,” the letter reads in part. “The building’s administrators walked the inside of the building to ensure that things were safe, which they found to be the case.”

Staff members at Maize South Middle School, Maize South Elementary School and Maize South High School were all placed in a state of heightened awareness, Buselt said.

All school buildings in the district retained their normal security, which is access to buildings only through the front offices, so “there was very little disruption to the routine of the school day,” the letter stated.

Maize South Elementary did alter outdoor recess as a precaution, however.

Officers with Maize schools were present in the buildings, Buselt said in the letter. Maize schools’ police chief is assisting Wichita police in a search for the man considered a “suspicious character.”

The man is described as a white male in his 50s. He is 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds. He has short gray hair with a receding hairline. He was wearing a black sleeveless T-shirt and light-colored shorts.

This story was originally published September 8, 2014 at 4:24 PM with the headline "Search underway for man who tried to get into Maize South Middle School."