Suspicious character in Maize turns out to be new school employee

The “suspicious character” trying to get into Maize South Middle School earlier this week through various side doors turned out to be a new employee who forgot the correct way to enter a school building in the district, according to a post on the Maize School District’s website.

“He needed access to the school for legitimate work purposes but was not following our safety protocol regarding how to enter a school building,” the statement posted on the site Wednesday said.

The incident occurred Monday. Wichita police and officers from Maize Schools began searching for the man based on a description given from a witness. An e-mail was sent to parents in the district alerting them to the incident.

“We apologize for any alarm this situation may have caused, and we are dealing with the employee involved administratively,” the statement posted on the Maize website said Wednesday. “We also are reinforcing our safety and security protocols with employees.”

This story was originally published September 10, 2014 at 2:12 PM with the headline "Suspicious character in Maize turns out to be new school employee."