False Alarms

As bad as school violence can be officials now have to deal more and more with false alarms and rumors which can set off panic like we’ve had in the past few days.

Tuesday we were flooded with phone calls from parents of Central Regional High School students concerned over a large police presence and reports of the discovery of a threatening note. Superintendent of Schools Dave Trethaway did confirm that a note was found Monday afternoon by a school safety officer and while he would not reveal the details, said it did not contain any specific threat to students and the school. However as rumors spread parents panicked with many keeping their children home or coming to school and taking them out of class for the day. Authorities are continuing their investigation.

Pinelands Regional Junior High School had to deal with a pair of rumors, including one that spread over the popular web site MySpace that there were several students on a hit list facing violence. The school reached out to parents via their automated telephone system and also had to deal with a false bomb threat.

These incidents are just the latest to make life miserable for police, administrators, teachers, parents and students and it appears it’s a growing trend. The problem is they all have to be taken seriously and no matter how trivial there is going to be panic and fear. It’s easy to say that it’s simply a false alarm but in this day and age who can blame parents for thinking the worst. However it’s also a danger to have parents coming to school in droves and removing their children as that alone poses safety and security concerns. Throw in the fact that police are forced to re-direct their efforts and you have a combination that is frustrating, perplexing and potentially dangerous.

The bottom line is somehow students have to be made to understand that even a casual threat cannot be tolerated in this environment. Those who are responsible for the latest incidents should be dealt with harshly if and when they are caught and a message has to be sent that this is no laughing matter.