Following up on the Westport Police Department’s information about this morning’s “sheter in place” order at Staples High and Bedford Middle Schools, superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice says:
Earlier this morning a student who missed their bus walked to the Dattco bus yard and requested a ride to Bedford Middle School. Personnel at the bus yard mobilized to provide transportation for this student.
Some time thereafter, personnel at the Dattco bus yard contacted the school district’s transportation coordinator to inform the coordinator about their plan to transport the student, but unfortunately provided incomplete and inaccurate information regarding the student’s identity and school. Our transportation coordinator immediately contacted the BMS and central office administration.
The administration then swiftly contacted our Westport Police Department School Security Officer (SSO) and School Resource Officer (SRO), and the Staples administration. After investigating to determine the identity and location of the student through video surveillance, our SRO discovered that the student was dropped off at Bedford Middle School, but then left the bus and walked towards Staples High School.
As a precaution, our SSO and SRO then sought additional resources from the Westport Police Department. Both schools were placed in a shelter-in-place.
Through collaboration with the school and district administration, the student was then correctly identified, interviewed, and it was determined that the shelter-in-place could be lifted.
The administration is committed to identifying the breakdown of the Dattco bus yard communication and protocols in this incident.
Again, I have complete confidence that at no time were our students and staff in danger. Additionally, it is clear that the positive and collaborative relationship we enjoy with the Westport Police Department, and the swift actions of our Bedford and Staples administration, along with our transportation coordinator and central office administration, all contributed to the timely resolution of this matter.
With Bill Lockwood, in his 1939 Bus #1, you didn’t have to worry about anything, except maybe some tobacco stains from his chewing tobacco! Now there was perfection!
So…. a student took a bus to school….. and that gets called “suspicious?”
Why was he suspicious — is he a minority who people think couldn’t possibly be in the Westport school system?
I hope the bus company does not get blamed, they were simply doing their job: bussing a kid to school. If anything, the bus company went above and beyond to help the kid – they should be one of this blog’s “unsung heroes.”
Judy, Judy, everyone did the right thing here…we live in a Post Trumpian America where any “unknown” is suspicious and might be motivated by the “replacement theory” or some other whacko cult mantra.
Obviously because, you know, school shootings never happened before Trump was President. Oh…wait…
Most likely, the Westport school system has had plans in place since Hubbard Woods or Columbine and were just being safe.
Judy, they were suspicious because apparently the bus driver had the name wrong and the school (or was told it incorrectly, I have no idea) . So imagine the bus co calls Bedford and said we just dropped off Joe Schmoe and they say we have no one here by that name – nor does Staples – nor did they come in the building. Unfortunately because of the world we live in that is suspicious. Thank you to the administration and police for taking it seriously when someone who doesn’t SEEM like a student is on campus. It was resolved quickly. Blame the part of our society that allows kids to be radicalized and those with mental illness access to guns., not our Board and Administration that has to react to it and protect our children.
It’s a good thing that the police aren’t “trigger-happy” as in some other areas.
Mercury leaves retrograde today, Over and out