Police Show Presence at High/Middle School Campus in Light of Threat

Police were prominently present at the entrance, hallways and around the perimeter of Canton High/Middle School Monday in response to a threat of “4-2-12 All Gonna Die" found on a boys room stall last month.

In a letter to parents, school officials said police "found" the threat to not be credible but were taking extra precautions.

Monday morning, four police cars were parked outside the school and an officer patrolled the perimeter by bicycle. Students were also required to follow several safety procedures, such as using one entrance and keeping their bags with them.

“Everything is going really well,” said Superintendent Kevin D. Case, who was also spending Monday at the school. “The police have been great in working with us.”

Later in the afternoon, the police presence diminished somewhat but chief Christopher Arciero said officers would still be at the school for after-school activities and patrol surrounding areas such as Mills Pond and the bike path. He said police would also continue to maintain a presence. 

"We'll continue to make sure we have safety mechanisms in place," he said. 

On Monday parents chose not to send their kids to school. Shortly after 9 a.m., staff members were talking about some 107 to 130 high school students, or about 20 percent, who had opted to stay home due to the situation.

Later in the day, Case said the estimate of 120 high-school absences reported by the television media at noon was about right, though he acknowledged the number may have been slightly higher. He said the student absence rate in the entire building was about 20 percent. 

One who opted to stay home was sophomore Manny Harden. He said he thinks the school took the right steps for the situation. 

"I think the school's been doing a good job in playing it safe," he said. 

But Harden admitted he did not think the threat was legitimate and took advantage of an opportunity for a three-day weekend. Harden is, however, an A student, his dad said, and did do some extra work over the weekend to help keep up with schoolwork.

Harden also believes some students were genuinely nervous about going to school. 

"I think a good amount of students actually took it seriously," he said.  

Case confirmed that those students who missed school would not be penalized but did say they are expected to make up missed work.

“I would have hoped that all of our students would have attended today but ultimately it was the parents’ decision based on the information I sent out,” he said.

Kathy Hooker, who has two students at the high school, said she attended a coffee session with principal Gary Gula last week. 

Hooker said she is generally a very protective parent but felt comfortable after what she heard. 

"The kind of information he was sharing made me feel comfortable with sending my children to school today," she said. 

Hooker said she did ultimately leave it up to her kids, adding that she would have allowed them to stay home if they were "overly anxious." 

After school Monday, several students said they also felt comfortable attending. 

Sophomore Morgan Scafuri attended school but felt most who didn't simply wanted a day off. 

"I don't really think anyone was scared," she said. 

Senior Erick Latvis attended school and felt things were normal except of low numbers in some of the classes. 

"It was a normal day — nothing out of the ordinary," he said. 

Senior Kiersten Kronschnabel agreed but said the police presence was reassuring.

"We felt if anything actually happened, we'd be fine," she said. 

Case sent parents a letter when the threat was discovered and another Friday, stating some of the reasons police believed the threat was not credible and detailing some safety precautions.

Monday morning, Case said he was also staying at the school throughout the day to ensure academics were emphasized.

“I’m here to make sure instruction is taking place in each of the classrooms,” he said. At the end of the day he said he was confident that was the case.

In addition, school officials told parents last week that those excused from school Monday would not be allowed to take part in extracurricular activities.

Last week Arciero said police were conducting additional investigations beyond the increased presence and Monday Case said police would continue to be “vigilant” at the school.

“The police will continue to have a greater presence over the next few weeks,” he said.