Students and adults at schools across Idaho have been on edge this week in the wake of Friday’s shooting at a Connecticut elementary. Rumors are keeping law enforcement busy in several parts of Idaho.
In Meridian two high schools have canceled or postponed annual assemblies scheduled for Friday. A district spokesman says administrators at Centennial and Mountain View high schools became aware early this week that students were afraid.
Much of that centered on a vague rumor that bad things would happen Friday. The schools canceled the assemblies out of a desire to make Friday an ordinary day. Eric Exline says that’s when social media started churning with rumors of threats targeting the assemblies.
“Our administrators and law enforcement have put a lot of effort into trying to find some specificity in terms of where they came from, who actually heard someone saying they intended to do harm,” Exline says.
He adds police have not identified a credible threat or evidence that anyone intends harm to the schools. Even so, he says Meridian schools will take extra security precautions on Friday.
Centennial High School also went on lockdown Thursday morning along with Lowell Scott Middle School and Joplin Elementary. The security holds lasted for about an hour. They were instituted after a resource officer at Centennial approached a student alone in the gym. The young man fled the building.
Joplin was asked to lock its doors because of its proximity to Centennial. Lowell Scott had begun a scheduled lockdown drill when administrators were told what was happening at Centennial. They decided to maintain the lockdown until the situation was resolved. Police found nothing suspicious at Centennial and the schools resumed normal activity.
Copyright 2012 Boise State Public Radio