STACYVILLE, Maine — Security changes may soon be coming to the Katahdin elementary and high school buildings following the second bomb threat in as many weeks.
RSU 50 Superintendent Todd LeRoy said Thursday morning that the district is taking the matter very seriously and assured parents that safety remains the top priority in the district.
“I find the current ‘trend’ toward making threats against the students, staff, school and district to be most troubling, regardless of the threat type,” LeRoy said. “We work extremely hard to make our schools the safest place our students can be and when someone tries to take that safety and security away, we take it most seriously.”
Maine State Police troopers were called to the school Wednesday morning after the word “bomb” was discovered scratched into the wall of one of the girls bathrooms at Katahdin Elementary School.
While the threat was found at the elementary school, students from Katahdin Area High School, located across the road, also were evacuated until KES could be deemed safe, according to the release.
State troopers, including an explosives detection canine, along with staff members searched the schools and found no device.
On Oct. 12, state police also responded to the elementary school after school officials reported a bomb threat just before the afternoon dismissal of students. In that case, the students were released on time and no classes were disrupted, according to officials. No evidence of any type of explosives or harmful devices was found then either.
The superintendent said Thursday that he will be recommending a number of safety measures at the schools in the hopes of deterring additional threats.
“We will be installing additional security technology and making sure we know where our students are at all times,” he said. “It is unfortunate all the students have to suffer due to the actions of a single student or a small group, but until we can be 100 percent sure this issue has been resolved and all our students are safe, we will be watching closely. We will find the person or persons responsible and there will be consequences. Bomb threats are a felony.”
Anyone with information about either incident is encouraged to contact Trooper Tim Saucier of the Maine State Police in Houlton at 532-5400.
