News: Bomb Threat in Long Island School
(Long Island, N.Y.) A bomb threat caused students of Garden City High School to be evacuated from school grounds. The students were moved to the nearby St. Paul’s school at roughly ten minutes after ten this morning. This is the second bomb scare to hit the school in less than two weeks.
The first threat, back on Tuesday, March 1st, caused a lockdown/lockout of the school between the hours of nine and eleven that morning. The Garden City Police Department was called to investigate the area and search the school for potential dangers. A full building check was made immediately following the notification.
Eventually, the threat was found to be not credible or specific enough to cause further alarm and the students resumed a normal day of classes. Nonetheless, emergency vehicles were alerted on standby in case there was reason for evacuation. Because there was no impending harm during the incident, many dubbed it a prime example for safety drill practice.
During the March 1st incident, students were held in their classrooms, which is what is called for in the state of a lockdown. A lockout, however, signifies that no one is allowed to enter or leave the building, including parents who wish to collect their children from school. Though there were no intruders, school personnel urge parents not to call the school for requests of information. Instead, they instruct parents to check their website for updates and the status of the school’s safety level.
The superintendent of the school district claimed to have been in touch with the police commissioner every thirty minutes on the morning of the March 1st incident. Though many parents complained about the decision not to evacuate over a week ago, the superintendent maintains that school districts must adhere to state issued guidelines concerning the standard procedures in the case of threats. The State Safety Guidelines are set up by the State Education Department, the State Police, the State Office of Homeland Security, and the State Emergency Management Office.
In today’s incident the threat was supposedly written inside the girl’s bathroom prior to the decision to evacuate students to St. Paul’s school on Rockaway Avenue. The superintendent emailed an alert to parents of the school district’s students. Once again, the Garden City Police Department was called to investigate and secure the area.
The Garden City Fire Department was also called this time to aid police in a building search. Though there were no reports of an intruder, damage, or injuries, the repetitive nature of the threat had authorities on heightened alert. Because the investigation is ongoing, there is information that school personnel and authorities cannot disclose to the public.
Luckily, the threat was once again deemed not credible, and students returned to a normal schedule a little past one in the afternoon to finish out their school day. Many parents and school staff appreciate the efforts made by the police and firefighters for the immediate action taken to ensure students’ safety. The Garden City Police Department, with new staff additions and department changes, is proud to be at its lowest rate of overtime in recent years.
