ORANGE — One juvenile was arrested and additional charges are expected for others following a Friday morning lockdown of Mahar Regional School, and shelter-in-place orders for the secondary and elementary schools in the district, according to Orange Police Sgt. James Sullivan.
The shutdown and shelter-in-place occurred following a written threat that was discovered in a bathroom stall of Mahar Regional School Friday morning. According to Sullivan, an investigation into the incident is ongoing but one juvenile, who was reportedly the primary person involved, was arrested, and other charges are expected for other juveniles allegedly involved.
Charges though, were not specified by Sullivan Friday evening.
Orange Police did confirm there was a threat written on a bathroom stall, but they did not reveal the nature of the threat. Some students said they heard the threat was about shooting at the school.
Local and state police, along with officers from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, were first called to the schools and a shelter-in-place procedure was enacted throughout the district. As the focus of the investigation turned to Mahar, a lockdown was ordered for that school.
Sullivan reported though, that no lockdown had occurred at the elementary schools, in spite of what some people may have thought.
“That first hour it was scary because it was a whole lockdown,” Noah Chabot, 14, said, as he walked out of Mahar around 11 a.m. “Once they made it continue instruction, it was a lot better.”
The lockdown was put in place in response to the threat and kept as the police evaluated the threat, Orange Police Sgt. James Sullivan said. “Now, we’re very confident we know what happened and the scope,” Sullivan said. “We can finish our investigation without impacting the staff and students as we did earlier.” He said he expects the investigation to be wrapped up by the end of the day.
“Given the climate, and what’s been happening nationally, we used extra precautionary measures and put them all in place to assess the situation,” Superintendent Tari Thomas said. While students sheltered in place, teachers were able to teach and students, by escort of police, could go to the bathroom, Sullivan said.
Thomas, who initially was not at the high school, said she was feeling “anxious,” when she learned of the threat. But she got over as quickly as possible and she was pleased with the way Mahar staff was handling the situation.
“My staff responded appropriately, thoughtfully and supportively to both staff and students,” Thomas said. “I’m always impressed with the partnership the school has with the Orange Police Department, state police and the sheriff’s department in assisting and providing ease.”
In a lockdown everyone in the school will follow a procedure put in a place for when it is believed a threat could be in the building. In a lockdown teachers will stop their work and people in the building will go to the appropriate place; the lights may also be turned off. While in a “shelter in place,” teaching will continue on, but there will be some restriction in movement. Doors will be locked and people in the building cannot roam the halls, but rather will typically have to be escorted.
Thomas added that school resource officer Chad Softic played an important role.
“He is essential in taking care of us, but also responding with expediency relative to situations like this morning,” Thomas said.
Some students walking out of Mahar said they were not overly concerned by the matter.
“I didn’t really feel unsafe,” Nathan Sakowicz said. “The teachers knew what to do and felt safe to just be in school.”
Orange Police’s Facebook Page was the first way some people in the community found out about the incident. Thomas, who typically is very active on social media to update the community on events and potential snow days, said with how the event unfolded, it was easiest for the police to get out the first message.
“When you’re part of a situation, I’m not able to send out communication maybe as swiftly as everybody would like,” Thomas said. As soon as she could she said she alerted families through phone, text and email.
During the first couple of hours of the investigation, four Orange Police cruisers were stationed at the back side of the school and four Massachusetts State Police cruisers were stationed out front. A state police trooper, standing outside the front of the school, was the only law enforcement presence outside.
While this was going on at Mahar, by 10 o’clock, some parents were picking up their children from the elementary schools. Fisher Hill Elementary School Principal Maureen Donelan said teaching continued and doors were locked, but students did not have to shelter. The two cruisers sent by the Sheriff’s Office were precautionary.
“They’re there to provide security and to let people feel secure that their kids are safe,” Sheriff Christopher Donelan, who lives in Orange, said.
He said he was asked by Orange Police to provide that additional assistance.
“There was never any threat to the elementary schools,” Sullivan said. “We just want everybody to understand we didn’t forget them.”