Police investigate report of student approached by stranger at East High

Wichita police were investigating an incident at Wichita East High School on Wednesday that involved a stranger entering the school and approaching a student, school officials said.

“The student did the right thing by going to an office and telling an adult,” principal Ken Thiessen said in a recorded telephone message sent to families Wednesday afternoon. “We are reviewing our procedures to focus on ensuring East continues to be a safe school.”

It was unclear when the person entered the school, at Douglas and Grove, or whether the person was identified or apprehended. “Police are investigating,” said Susan Arensman, spokeswoman for the Wichita district.

In a message to students, Thiessen reminded them: “If you see something, say something. … If you are aware of anything that makes you feel unsafe, you should tell an adult.”

Over the past year, East High and other Wichita schools have installed the Hall Pass security system, which scans visitors’ driver’s licenses and checks them against a sex-offender database. When visitors check in at the office, they are issued a date-specific, adhesive visitor badge that includes the driver’s license photo.

This story was originally published September 9, 2015 at 4:18 PM with the headline "Police investigate report of student approached by stranger at East High."