Tyngsborough elementary school placed in lockdown after threatening phone call
Students and staff at Tyngsborough Elementary School went into “lockdown” Wednesday morning after a threat was called into the district’s main office.
The call came in at about 9:15 a.m., according to a statement from Tyngsborough School Superintendent Dr. Michael Flanagan
Police and school officials said they later determined the threat was unfounded.
“After a thorough search of the school and grounds by the Tyngsborough Police Department, nothing was found, and the phone call was determined to not be a credible threat,” according to the statement.
“Officers are at the school. Staff and students are safe.” according to a statement from Tyngsborough Police.
Students and staff were kept in lockdown “as an additional precautionary measure,” said superintendent Flanagan.
“The students did an outstanding job following ALICE / Emergency response protocols,” according to the statement from the superintendent. “Additional communication will be forthcoming at the end of the day.”
“Tyngsborough Police were assisted by State Police resources to ensure the safety of everyone at the school while also being diligent and thorough in their investigation,” according to a statement from police.
The State Police Bomb Squad also responded to the school.
“We deployed three explosive detection K9 teams,” said state police. “Exterior and interior sweeps revealed no items of concern.”
In an interview with Boston 25 News reporter Jim Morelli, Security Analyst Dan Linskey said he thinks school districts should adopt a multi-phased approach to threats.
“You’re more likely to be bitten by a venomous snake,” said Boston 25 Security Analyst Dan Linskey, who dealt with numerous school threats during his time as Boston’s police chief. He says threats -- benign and otherwise -- can come from many places.
“Whether it’s a kid who’s trying to get out of an exam, whether it’s a former employee of the school system or somebody with mental health issues looking for their five minutes of fame. Or could it in fact be somebody who is thinking of doing something and they’re looking to see what the response is,” Linskey said.
In Boston, Linskey said that it became practice to not call for school lockdowns unless absolutely necessary -- that is, when there was the confirmed presence of an imminent threat. Instead, schools were placed in ‘safe mode’ as police investigated.
“Anytime that a parent gets notified a school is locked down it is a harrowing moment for them,” said Linskey. “When parents hear the words ‘safe mode’ as opposed to a lockdown, it gives them a sense of safety and security that something’s going on, but professionals who know what is dangerous or not dangerous are there.”
“I would recommend to schools that just because somebody called in a threat or scribbled a threat on a blackboard or bathroom wall, I wouldn’t necessarily lock things down,” he said. “Because ordinarily, those threats are not legitimate.”
Of course, some threats are legitimate. One way to tell, Linskey said, is if there are numerous calls to police.
“There are times when kids have to get under desks -- when there’s a physical threat that’s imminent, that’s real,” he said. “But we shouldn’t be traumatizing kids and having them get under desks and going into a response as if there’s an active assailant on the property.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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