BUCKLAND — Instead of the frantic energy of students taking final exams, the Mohawk Trail Regional High School was quiet Wednesday, after school was canceled because of a threat mailed to State Police. According to school Superintendent Michael Buoniconti, who was at Mohawk throughout the day, State Police had received a handwritten note, postmarked from Boston, claiming that some unspecified threat would occur at the high school in the days shortly before the end of school, which was to have been Thursday.
The anonymous letter also named a couple in their mid- to late 60s, living in Heath, as the alleged perpetrators of some potential incident. But investigators from the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office interviewed the man and woman Tuesday night and did not find the allegation credible.
The school’s U.S. Flag flying was at half-mast to honor the Orlando shooting victims this week, and given all the anxiety over that mass shooting, Buoniconti said he felt it best to err on the side of caution.
After State Police Troopers Dan Jones and Robert McCarthy canvassed Mohawk with dogs trained to sniff bombs and explosives, Buoniconti announced that all Mohawk schools and Hawlemont would reopen today, June 16.
Although the high school was specifically named in the threatening letter, the district’s four elementary schools were also closed as a precaution, as well as the Hawlemont Regional School.
On Wednesday, local and State Police worked together to patrol the buildings and check them for anything suspicious. By mid-afternoon, Buoniconti reported that nothing suspicious was found in any of the elementary schools.
The Northwestern District Attorney’s Office said that State Police assigned to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office will continue to investigate an alleged threat directed toward Mohawk; however preliminary investigation failed to substantiate any credible threat.
“While the investigation is ongoing, at this point it has identified no credible threat to the school or the public in general,” the statement read.
The closed schools were: Mohawk, Buckland Shelburne Elementary School, Colrain Central, Heath, Sanderson Academy and the Hawlemont Regional School in Charlemont.
By about 11 a.m. Wednesday, Buckland Police Chief Jim Hicks and State Police Trooper James Carmichael had inspected the high school building without finding any cause for alarm, but Buoniconti requested the police dogs do a “sweep” of the grounds to make sure there were no explosives. Buoniconti also called in the school principals to walk through and inspect their respective school buildings, accompanied by police.
“What I’m pleased by is the coordination I see between the police and the schools,” Buoniconti said.
The names of the people alleged to be suspects in the anonymous threat were not released, said Buoniconti, because “They were accused by an anonymous letter-writer,” he said. “It would be entirely unfair if they are the victim of a hoax. And based on their interview, there was no reason to suspect them.”
Buoniconti said all school events originally planned for Wednesday will be held today instead. Wednesday night’s sixth-grade graduations have been rescheduled as follows:
• Colrain Central, tonight, June 16, at 6:30 p.m.
• Heath Elementary, Friday, June 17, at 6:30 p.m.
• Hawlemont, tonight at 6:30 p.m.
As a precaution, Buoniconti said he will request police presence at Mohawk for the remaining two days of school.
“I regret this situation altogether, especially during exams when the students’ stress level is already high,” he said. “I encourage everyone to be extra vigilant over the next two days. If you see anything unusual, please report the information immediately to the administration.”
When asked how much it will cost to keep school open for one more day, Buoniconti said, “The cost is comparable to a snow day in June. It’s not so much a cost but an inconvenience issue — and furthermore, the psychological impact. Unfortunately, it reflects the world these days.”