“It could be copycats and we think that it probably is, but you never can take that chance with all the students we have in the building,” said Paula Crew, assistant superintendent at the district.
A 12-year-old girl at Tecumseh Middle School was arrested Thursday on charges related to two of the threats, deputies said.
One of the threats warned of a shooting at the school and the second threatened the life of a specific teacher, investigators said.
The girl was charged with inducing panic, aggravated menacing and two counts of criminal mischief, and was taken to the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center. She will appear in juvenile court on the charges at a later date, investigators said.
The two remaining threats, including the one that prompted Thursday’s lock down, remain under investigation, detectives said.
Staff members put the school on lock down for several hours Thursday morning as detectives and deputies investigated the threat found written on the bathroom wall, Crew said.
Students need to realize these “pranks” aren’t funny, Crew said.
“Especially with the recent school shooting we had just a couple of counties away, it’s not a joke, it’s not a laughing matter,” she said. “It’s extremely serious.”
Law enforcement isn’t taking the matter lightly, Underwood said.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “We plan on finding out who’s been doing this and there will be charges made against them because this is a very serious matter; we have a lot of time and resources here.”
The lock downs didn’t force the school to evacuate but students sheltered in place as law enforcement investigated.
The disruption in the school day is a hindrance to students who want to learn, said Eric Thornhill, who’s daughter is a Tecumseh eighth grader.
“Having to be locked down, she’s not getting her education, she’s stuck in one room for God knows how long,” Thornhill said.
Brian Dixon, the middle school principal, sent an automated call to parents Wednesday night asking them to help with the issue of possible copy-cat pranks.
“Asking them to please talk to their children about the severity of this and did let them know when the child or children are found that’s doing this there will be severe consequences from the school level,” Crew said.
Any school discipline for the girl arrested Thursday will be decided after she returns to classes, Crew said.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office responded to a record number of threats at area schools in 2015, eight times in the 2014-2015 school year.
Last October two separate threats were discovered at Tecumseh High School. In one of the threats, the sheriff’s department and bomb-sniffing dogs from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Dayton Airport Police responded, costing about $14,000 in man hours lost, school leaders said.
About the Author