Threats To Brown Middle School In Newton

NEWTON, MA — Although a drive past Brown and Oak Middle Schools might not show anything out of the ordinary, there is extra police presence at Brown Middle School this afternoon after a student reported threatening behavior yesterday, according to the Superintendent's Office.

"We take any threat to school safety extraordinarily seriously. Therefore, an investigation began immediately. Interviews were conducted and the Newton Police Department was contacted," reads the letter the school's principal sent out.

Some students saw some suspicious behavior and reported it to a staff member Wednesday afternoon, according to a letter sent out by Brown Middle School Principal John Jordan.

"It's basically a threat to the safety of the school," said the Superintendent's office spokeswomanJulie McDonnell, who declined to go into the nature of the threat. "It’s an on going investigation, so we can’t release the specifics of that," she said.

School is running as normal today, but there will be additional police and staff present, McDonough told the Newton Patch.

“Our strong partnership with the police department gives us confidence in our decision to hold school,” Jordan said in the letter. “We are proud of the students who brought this possible threat to our attention.”

Newton Police did not return calls or emails requesting comment. As a practice the Newton Police do not often speak about incidents or calls related to minors. According to the public police log, police investigated something just after 5 p.m. at Brown Middle School yesterday.

McDonough said another letter would go out to parents and families later this afternoon to update them.

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Here's the letter Jordan sent to families:

Brown Families,

This afternoon, staff received a report of what was believed to be threatening behavior earlier in the school day. We take any threat to school safety extraordinarily seriously. Therefore, an investigation began immediately. Interviews were conducted and the Newton Police Department was contacted.

At this time the Newton Police Department is currently investigating the alleged threat. We will go forward with a normal school day tomorrow. Our strong partnership with the police department gives us confidence in our decision to hold school. As part of our ongoing response, there will be a police presence in the building tomorrow as well as support staff available to address student concerns.

We take the safety of our students, our staff, and our entire community very seriously. We are proud of the students who brought this possible threat to our attention. Thank you for your patience and support as we work to ensure safety for all.

Sincerely,

John Jordan