Last night, superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice sent this message to Staples High School parents and students:
Earlier today (Monday) Staples Principal Stafford Thomas sent a message to the Staples community sharing that the school administration was made aware of language found on a wall in a bathroom stall which would be considered threats to the school.
The team spent the day working with the Westport Police Department, up to the level of the chief of police. This threat was not deemed credible, yet in an effort to reassure the school community, the decision was made to have multiple Westport Police officers stationed on campus tomorrow (Tuesday).
“06880” obtained this image of the message in a bathroom stall.
This evening (Monday), a social media posting (a separate incident from what was reported this afternoon) was shared widely from a number of students and parents.
An immediate response from the district administration and WPD initiated a visit this evening by the WPD to the home of the suspected source of the posting.
I was just informed that the WPD definitively identified the source of the posting and took enforcement action.
We will continue with our plans to have multiple WPD officers at Staples tomorrow (Tuesday).
Additionally, I can assure the school community that the individual who was identified as the source of the social media posting will not be in school tomorrow (Tuesday).
As an aside, I truly appreciate the calls and emails notifying the school district and WPD of this posting. We jumped into action immediately.
That said, we cannot, and will not be able to, keep up with the speed of social media, nor can we respond to emails during our response to an incident.
This message is intended to inform the community of the online threat, our assertive response in coordination with the WPD, and to respond to those email inquiries.
Staples High School will be well protected by Westport Police today.
Great job to Westport PD and Scarice for promptly handling everything. Our first responders do an amazing job in this town, keeping people safe. Tensions are so high and pressures are very challenging so let’s just make sure families remain close and talk through current issues with their kids and work together to stay strong.
I went to Staples for one year, in 1966-67. Although it was a relatively short time of my schooling, I still remember the friends and teachers I had then with gratitude.
I care greatly about everyone there. Take care of each other. You are all people of great worth to the rest of us, no matter where we have made our lives.
Thank you WPD and the school system. The hate and rhetoric and the possession of guns has got to stop. Do your part by voting
A threat for today has also closed the middle school in New Milford.
And Bloomfield also received a threat. This is nuts!