Threats shuts down Hamden High School for two more days

For the second time in four days, Hamden High School is closed because of an online threat of violence, police said.

The school — where a loaded gun was found two months ago — will be closed until Wednesday, they said.

“In response to this threat, the Hamden Police Department is working in collaboration with Hamden Public Schools and the Mayor’s Office to provide a proactive safety plan to school reopening,” police said in a news release Sunday. They didn’t describe the threat or say if it was posted on social media.

The school system received the threat Sunday evening, police said.

The threat followed one Thursday night that prompted Hamden school officials, in consultation with police and the mayor’s office, to opt to closed school Friday.

In that case, just like the weekend one, students alerted their parents and authorities about the threat.

“Many students in our community took proactive steps to notify their parents, school officials and police about these online threats,” police said.

Anyone with information about who made the threats is asked to call the Hamden Police Department at 203-230-4000. Callers may remain anonymous.

Many schools have had rocky starts to the school year after a year of classes switching back-and-forth from live to remote. Hamden has had a particularly rough couple of months, with a student being arrested on Oct. 5 after a loaded handgun was found in the student’s backpack. The courts obtained an order to detain the 17-year-old, and the student was taken to juvenile detention in Bridgeport, police said at the time.

And on Nov. 29, a 14-year-old student was stabbed outside Hamden High School, police said, allegedly at the hands of a 13-year-old student. The two were involved in a fight just off campus, they said.

Christine Dempsey may be reached at cdempsey@courant.com.