North Shore Schools Rally Around St. John's Prep After Shooter Report

DANVERS, MA — As cases of hoax shooting threats at schools have become alarmingly common, North Shore school and police officials have been nimble in developing action and communication plans that follow all safety protocols while doing so with an understanding of what may be a legitimate danger and what types of threats are vague attempts at causing disruption.

Yet, when a situation suddenly escalates — as was the case when Danvers police said an officer's gun accidentally went off in the bathroom of the middle school building on the St. John's of Danvers campus while investigating what was believed to be likely another hoax call early Monday afternoon — the ensuing panic and chaos among students, staff and their worried families was more reminiscent of some of the scary scenes involving actual active shooting threats that have played out across the nation in recent years.

It is with that in mind that the St. John's Prep campus was closed for classes and most after-school activities — some varsity sports still went on as scheduled — on Tuesday as the school community took a deep breath, perhaps gathered some belongings left behind amid the lockdown and ensuing dismissal, and regrouped after Monday's harrowing chain of events.

(More on Patch: 'Hoax Threat': Danvers Police Officer Fires Gun In 'Swatting' Response)

"The great blessing today is that we are all safe and we have each other," St. John's Prep Head of School Ed Hardiman posted on his Twitter account Monday night. "That is what community is all about. Our administrators, teachers, staff and students did what we have trained for and protected each other."

That community extends beyond Danvers — especially considering that the private school draws from towns throughout the North Shore and Merrimack Valley, as well as southern New Hampshire — with multiple area school officials offering messages of support for SJP.

"While we are grateful to learn that no threats were detected, and everyone was determined to be safe, it is deeply troubling that anyone would cause this sort of disruption and chaos to students,
staff, families and communities," Marblehead Superintendent John Buckey said in a message to that school community Monday afternoon. "Our schools deserve better.

"Given the closeness of our communities and the number of Marblehead students who attend SJP, our building leaders will be reaching out to their staff and families soon to share information and resources in light of any impact today's incident might have on some of our students."

Salem Public Schools were subject to a hoax shooting threat call during a rash of similar threats toward schools across Massachusetts in February, and the Carlton School had to be evacuated during what turned out to be a false bomb threat at the Satanic Temple in early March.

"We understand the gravity of this situation, particularly as many Salem youth attend that school, and we share the community's growing concerns over these hoax incidents happening throughout Massachusetts and the country," Salem Superintendent Steve Zrike said in a post on the SPS Facebook page. "These incidents are deeply troubling and have a profound impact on the individuals and communities involved. The emotional toll, anxiety, and fear they generate cannot be underestimated.

"As a school district, we stand in solidarity with St. John's Prep, offering our unwavering support to the students, faculty, and staff affected by this alarming event. We will continue to work diligently to ensure our students' safety and well-being and condemn these hoaxes as serious crimes with severe consequences."

Classes were expected to resume at St. John's Prep on Wednesday.

Danvers Police Chief James Lovell said at a news conference late Monday afternoon that the department would investigate the circumstances surrounding the "accidental discharge" of the officer's weapon during the initial response.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)