High School Under 'Heightened Vigilance' after Threatening Graffiti is Found

Graffiti that "vaguely referred to a threat" was found in a bathroom this week at West Orange High School, officials said.

School administrators took the threat seriously and placed the school under a "state of heightened vigilance" Friday, according to a letter emailed to parents from Principal Arthur Alloggiamento.

"Although we expected that this was a foolish prank of a misguided student, we nevertheless took this very seriously," Alloggiamento said in the letter.

"As a result, our staff, including security personnel, was in a state of heightened vigilance, and we had the assistance of the West Orange Police Department on our grounds and in our building."

The graffiti was found in a stall inside the boys' bathroom, Superintendent Dr. Anthony Cavanna told Patch on Friday, but did not detail what it said.

Cavanna said police reviewed the school's surveillance tapes but nothing "definitive" was found.

"A lot of times it's a prank but we requested a police presence in the school," Cavanna said. "We took it seriously."

He said two officers patrolled the school all day to provide additional security, "We asked for the police to send a message in case anybody was thinking of doing of anything."

This is the second time this year graffiti causes concern in the district. Last month, racially charged graffiti was found at the high school that spurred an investigation by the local chapter of the NAACP.

School officials stressed that no incidents occurred this week, and that the students and staff were "safe and sound at all times," Alloggiamento said in the letter. "Business as usual was conducted for the full day at our school, with only the added vigilance of our staff and the presence of the police department making this day any different from any other."

Cavanna said the administration was working with the school to conduct an investigation into the incident.