Clarkston Community Schools had to deal with another bomb threat last week.
This threat, which was written on a toilet paper dispenser in the boy’s bathroom, occurred at Sashabaw Middle School on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at approximately 1 p.m. The threat indicated a bomb was set to go off on Friday, Feb. 28. This was the third such threat in the last three weeks for the school district.
“This seems to be a copy cat prank,” Clarkston Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Al Roberts said. A similar situation occurred at Clarkston High School on Feb. 6 when a note was found written in a bathroom stating a bomb would go off on Feb. 18. That same week a similar threat was discovered in a bathroom at North Sashabaw Elementary.
“That was a fifth grader who had a brother at the high school and he was found with about a half hour and has been punished,” Clarkston Community Schools Public Relations coordinator Anita Banach said.
School was in session on Friday, Feb. 28.
Lt. Dale LaBair of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department in Independence Township said the bomb threat was “much ado about nothing.”
The student, who wrote the note which stated a bomb would go off on Friday, is a mentally handicapped child, LaBair said.
Based upon the handwriting, school staff quickly determined who the letter writer was.
“(The school staff) are satisfied this was a copy cat occurrence and his parents have been extremely cooperative,” LaBair said. The boy has been referred to Clarkston Area Youth Assistance.
In instances of bomb threats, authorities at the sheriff’s department look closely at varying factors to determine its seriousness.
“We try to rate them to determine their credibility,” LaBair said. “We don’t outright dismiss any of them. We weigh the factors.”
Factors like the age of the lead perpetrator, the location of the threat, the time of year, and more help police determine the threat’s significance.
“If (the threat) was scribbled on a piece of paper with a pencil, you can bet you’re not dealing with a terrorist,” LeBair said.
If concluded the threat is real, dogs are called in to sniff out a bomb. In this case, a bomb dog was scheduled to visit the school when the threat was first received, but was cancelled once police determined the threat was false.
LaBair also said the sheriff’s department tries to avoid overpublicizing an event of this sort to steer individuals away from copy cat acts.
Roberts said the schools always have the safety of the children in mind.
“I don’t want to spell out our security procedures but we don’t take any chances,” Roberts said. “Every day we do everything we can to ensure the safety of our students.”
Although the threat is a student prank, it is still in direct violation of the schools Zero Tolerance Policy regarding student safety.
“Not only does this create unnecessary fear in the schools but it is also very costly by nature. Both the time of the school’s staff and the police department is wasted on these types of pranks,” Roberts said.
In the letter to the parents, Roberts asked parents to take an active role in making sure their children know the consequences of these actions.
The letter stated, “I am asking that parents reinforce the importance the of this (Zero Tolerance) Policy at home, and that you encourage your children to report any threats, rumors or suspicious behavior to school officials immediately. It is critical for students to understand that they can personally contribute to the existence of an atmosphere that is kind, respectful and secure.”
(Clarkston News writer Jennifer Nemer contributed to this story.)