What we know about Perry High School, the scene of an Iowa school shooting

Police continue to investigate after a large law enforcement and emergency medical presence was called to Perry High School on Thursday morning.

LIVE UPDATES: Police confirm Perry High School shooting

Here’s what we know about Perry, Iowa and the Perry Community School District.

Where is Perry, Iowa? How close is it to Des Moines?

Perry is located in Dallas County. It’s about 40 miles northwest of downtown Des Moines.

What time do classes start at Perry High School?

Thursday, Jan. 4 was the first day of the second semester at Perry High School. Classes were scheduled to start at 7:55 a.m. Police calls were first reported at 7:37 a.m.

More: A history of Iowa school shootings

How many students attend Perry schools?

There are about 1,800 students in the Perry school district.

Are classes still in session at Perry schools?

No. Classes have been canceled at all Perry Community School District Schools for Thursday, Jan. 4. Students were evacuated from all buildings and reunited with families. An announcement from the district’s communication system said that all staff have been released to go home and have been advised not to return to the building.

How is Perry Community School District connected to recent school lawsuits in Iowa? 

Perry Community School District librarian Mari Butler-Abry is one of the named plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed by the Iowa State Education Association, Penguin Random House and four authors — Laurie Halse Anderson; John Green; Malinda Lo; and Jodi Picoult —in federal court in the Southern District of Iowa which challenges parts of a new, sweeping education law. Educators Alyson Browder and Daniel Gutmann are also named.

The law, Senate File 496, bars most books which depict sex acts in schools. Additionally, the law forbids curriculum or teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity through sixth grade and requires school district officials to inform parents and/or caregivers if a student asks to use different pronouns or name at school.

The school district is not a named plaintiff in the lawsuit.

The Perry Chief’s Allison Ullman and The Des Moines Register’s Samantha Hernandez contributed to this report.

Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her atvreynarodriguez@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter@VictoriaReynaR.