Fox Lane High School Threat Wasn't Real, But Concerns Continue

BEDFORD, NY — A threat on Sunday made by a Fox Lane High School student was investigated and deemed not real; however, given the national climate of school violence, district officials said Monday they are sympathetic to parent and student worries.

"One lesson from today, among many, is in regards to the speed of information. A parent sent me the first post that raised concerns last evening and we acted immediately with local authorities," Bedford schools superintendent Joel Adelberg said in a letter to the community Monday afternoon. "These are challenging days and times across our country and in all communities. We must remain vigilant and attentive to any threats or expressions of concern by any of our students, whether directed toward others or themselves."

District officials heard about the disturbing SnapChat post, which by Sunday evening had already been circulating widely among students, and called the Bedford and Westchester County police. Officers went to the writer's home and interviewed them and their parents, district officials said.

The post by a student who lives in Mount Kisco said "Pray the government never gives me by gun license don’t come to school monday, y’all," The Examiner reported.

Police and school officials decided that the threat was not credible and schools could open on Monday (without the student who had written the post) — but also decided to have more officers at all the district's schools, district officials said.

Some parents criticized the district's communication about the incident, angry that they didn't hear about it before they sent their kids to school, The Examiner reported. Others wanted to know what would happen to the student who wrote the post.

Continuing concern in the community led to a second letter from the superintendent, laying out several key points.

• Police conducted a threat assessment before the decision was made to open school.
• The family and the student are cooperating.
• The district has, and practices, extensive emergency management protocols.
• On Monday BCSD facilities were placed in lockout, a protocol to carefully monitor all traffic in and out of school buildings.
• The district has strict rules it is following regarding disciplinary proceedings and clinical support.

Here's Adelberg's first communication:

We were notified of a disturbing post on SnapChat that was being shared widely among FLHS students. The post was treated as a perceived threat to the school. It had been circulating among students and posted on social media.

Immediately upon notification, the school district contacted our School Resource Officer, the Bedford Police, and the Westchester County Police. The County Police immediately responded to the home of the individual responsible for the post to conduct a thorough threat assessment. They were in contact with the FLHS administration late into the evening and the high school administration was in touch with the district leadership.

While we cannot share the details of the investigation, please know that this is taken seriously. The police determined, based upon their investigation, that there is no imminent threat to our school community. The family and the individual are cooperating fully with the authorities and the district. The individual will not be in school today. We will have additional police presence on the FLHS campus to provide further assurances. As always, our SRO will be very visible.

While this incident was directed to FLHS, with an abundance of caution, there will be additional police presence around all of our district school facilities.

We thank our students and parents who, upon receipt of disturbing social media, immediately reached out to the school, the district and, given the late hours of the weekend, directly to the local police. We cannot stress enough the continuing importance for vigilance. These are challenging times and we must look out for and protect one another. As always, our message, if you see something or know something, notify the administration and the police immediately, still stands.

If you have any questions, please contact your child’s principal.

Here's his second:

I am writing to provide our community with a follow-up to the events of last evening and today. In my communication this morning, I shared the information that we received last night regarding the police and district investigations that occurred up to that point. Based on the guidance from the Bedford Police and the Westchester County Police that at no time was there a credible threat to our schools, we made the decision to remain open today and proceed with all scheduled activities. The County Police conducted a full threat assessment last night and again today. We recognize that recent local and national news can magnify and exacerbate fears and worries in schools. The health and safety of our students will always remain our top priority. In collaboration with our staff, local police, and our District safety coordinator, we continue to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff at all times.
I am aware that there are questions regarding the timing of this morning’s communication and the amount of information that the district is able to provide to the general public and parent community. There is often concern that there is never enough communication when an incident raises questions or concerns about your child’s safety and I understand that. We want to reassure you that if there is ever a safety concern in our schools, we have extensive emergency management protocols that we follow and practice regularly to ensure the safety of our school community. If there was ever a suggestion that we close our schools due to an imminent threat, we would react immediately.
Our FLHS and district safety teams have been meeting all day. In accordance with District emergency management protocols and in cooperation with the Bedford Police Department and Westchester County Police, all BCSD facilities have been placed in lockout. A lockout protocol is what we use when we carefully monitor all traffic in and out of school. For students and staff in our buildings, the school day proceeded as normal. All students and staff were safe all day. All non-emergency visits to the buildings were monitored and any visitors to our schools were carefully vetted. What we did today is direct all of our school leaders and staff to be even more vigilant in managing movement in and out of their schools. The same protocols will be followed tomorrow and forward.
I know that there are questions from community members about what happens next. Our district has strict protocols in place regarding disciplinary proceedings and clinical support. Today’s incident will require both. There will be strict and stiff disciplinary actions taken and there will be clinical support made available to involved students.
One lesson from today, among many, is in regards to the speed of information. A parent sent me the first post that raised concerns last evening and we acted immediately with local authorities. These are challenging days and times across our country and in all communities. We must remain vigilant and attentive to any threats or expressions of concern by any of our students, whether directed toward others or themselves.