Salem School Bomb Hoax Threats Spur Proper Police Response 'Quandary'

SALEM, MA — The latest uncorroborated bomb threat at a Salem school drew a "measured" response from police as school and public safety officials considered how to deal with the proliferation of hoax threats aimed at school buildings.

Salem police said Tuesday's threat occurred about 1:30 p.m. at Witchcraft Heights Elementary School. Police said they "responded in a measured fashion and cleared the school building."

The threat was determined to be a hoax — the second such false threat toward the school in the past week, causing police to consider how they will respond to and publicize future threats where there does not appear to be an imminent danger.

"The frequency of school threats that turn out to be hoaxes has dramatically increased in the last two years and presents a quandary for school personnel and public safety alike," police said on Tuesday. "It is clear that we must always respond and take all threats seriously given what is at stake. The response, however, must also take into account the mental trauma inflicted upon school children who are exposed to repeated police emergencies and the small but real risk we take in moving them en masse."

Police said they are making some changes to their response to school threats in line with new FBI guidelines and in consultation with Superintendent Steve Zrike.

"Those guidelines include carefully, but swiftly evaluating the threat and adjusting our response appropriately," police said.

(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.)