BUCKLAND — Mohawk Trail Regional School District administrators are reiterating to the community that they are working closely with police regarding the possible threat reported on Monday and that students and staff were never in immediate danger.
Speaking Tuesday evening, Superintendent Sheryl Stanton again commended the students who came forward to report another student had posted on social media about bringing a gun to school and then made the same verbal threat during the day.
“We have increased police presence on campus and provided support for any students and staff who need it. Student and staff safety has been and remains a priority for us,” she said, adding that there was never a weapon on the school’s campus. “Once administration was made aware of the threat circulating on social media, we immediately enacted protocols and procedures to assure our school was safe. We then notified our caregivers, students and staff as soon as we were able to do so. We will continue to work with the state police as they continue their investigation and remain committed to sharing as much information as we can with our school community.”
In a separate incident, Franklin County Technical School in Turners Falls responded to a potential school shooting threat with police presence on Monday, although an investigation determined that students had “fabricated” the story, according to Superintendent Rick Martin.
At Mohawk Trail, Stanton said the district will follow the code of conduct outlined in its student handbook to determine the next steps regarding possible discipline for the student who reportedly made the threat once the police and internal school investigations have concluded.
“With any case where state police are involved in an investigation of this magnitude, the person involved would not remain on campus,” she said, adding that this rule applies to any student or adult involved in such allegations.
Stanton also said she cannot disclose specifics pertaining to this case.
Acting Principal Diane Zamer sent an email to all Mohawk Trail caregivers to thank them for their patience.
“Today, students resumed their regular routines and had an opportunity to process their feelings or talk about what happened at school yesterday. Our counseling team was made available to any students and staff who required extra support,” she wrote Tuesday. “Thank you to our entire staff for continuing to build strong and trusting relationships with our students that are critical at this time.
“While this is an ongoing investigation, I want to extend my sincerest appreciation to our local and state police for their response and support,” she added. “We are also working with the assistant district attorney’s office and will provide an update when more information is available.”
Zamer said the school buildings are locked and secured by a recently upgraded surveillance and security system and visitors must be “buzzed in” and enter through the main lobby, where they sign in at the front desk. She also said the administration and staff circulate throughout the building to monitor and check in with students, teachers take class attendance and follow up with the office in cases of absences, and weekly counseling team meetings are held to identify students who may need more support at any time during the school year.
Catherine Fahy Green, a parent of an eighth-grader at Mohawk Trail Regional School, said her child was in school only briefly Tuesday, as she removed him because she felt uneasy about whether the student who made the threat would be in attendance.
“I’ve never been this close to an issue like this. And it’s a real tough position to be in as a parent,” she said. “And you want to trust the school, but you also want to know the person who made a threat isn’t going to be able to return to the school and injure anyone.”
Fahy Green said she was frustrated by what she felt was ambiguous and non-specific language in the superintendent’s first statement pertaining to the incident.
“This type of thing can happen in any community,” she said, adding that she empathizes with all Mohawk Trail caregivers, including those of the student who reportedly made the threat.
Franklin County Technical School also responded to a potential school shooting threat with police presence on Monday during an investigation into suspicious student comments that went on for “several days,” Martin said.
The response came as a reaction to a group of students alluding that another student was planning a school shooting. The story was eventually deemed to be “fabricated” as the investigation commenced and students began to retract their initial statements.
Martin said he is unsure of the motive behind the rumor.
“I wouldn’t characterize it as a threat because there was no threat,” Martin said. “Who knows if it was attention-getting? Who knows what it could’ve been?”
The investigation was conducted by the school’s administrative team. Martin said the investigation, as well as the increase in police presence, allowed the school to feel “pretty back to normal after the morning” on Monday.
“We had a police presence there on Monday and I think it was pretty well-received by staff and students,” he said.
Martin expressed confidence in Franklin Tech’s regular preventative measures. He credited the school resource officer, adjustment counselor and assistant principal as staff who help keep the school a safe and secure environment.
“We have a pretty active presence here just on a normal day,” he said.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262. Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-772-0261, ext. 261 or jmendoza@recorder.com.