Threat of Violence Causes Early Dismissal at Suffield High School

SUFFIELD, CT — Students at Suffield High School were dismissed early Friday after a "verbal threat of violence" was made Friday morning.

At 9:22 a.m., Suffield police responded to the high school to assist the School Resource Officer and school administration with a distraught student. They reacted quickly in locating and separating the 17-year-old student from other students and staff, Capt. Christopher McKee said.

As efforts were being taken to locate family members of the student, he escalated the situation by becoming agitated and out of control, pushing school faculty and running out of the front of the high school. Police ran after the student, immediately stopping him outside the front entrance of the school, McKee said.

The student remained out of control and violent towards the officers. Police attempted to de-escalate the student, who was continuing to display out of control and violent behaviors, and requested an ambulance to the scene. During that time, the student made verbal threats that he had placed a “bomb” in the high school, McKee said.

While school staff and police coordinated contacting family members out of state, the student was transported to a local area hospital for evaluation and treatment, McKee said.

As a precautionary measure, erring on the side of caution and safety for students and staff, leadership of the Suffield Public Schools in conjunction with Suffield emergency services, promptly evacuated the high school and enacted an early dismissal. Buses were called in to transport students home, students who drove to school were released from the scene, and an area for parents to pick up students was established away from the school building, McKee said.

Bomb detection police canine teams from the Connecticut State Police responded to the scene at the request of Suffield police. Sweeps of all areas of the school were conducted by these teams with school officials. No suspicious items were located during this comprehensive search of the high school, McKee said.

The high school has been deemed safe and is re-opened for after-school activities and for students to return to gather any possession they may have left during their exit from the school, McKee said.

Both the Suffield Public School District and the Suffield Police Department distributed messages via the school community notification system (Everbridge) and social media platforms to make parents and families aware of this incident, as well as to provide updates throughout the incident, McKee said.

"All threats to our schools and our community are taken seriously," McKee said. "This matter will continue to be investigated by the Suffield Police Department and the Suffield Public School District. Suffield police and our partners want to thank all parents, caregivers, and community members for your cooperation during the incident."

Photo credit: Suffield Police Department