Several Albany County school districts have dispelled rumors circulating about an incident to occur on Friday, Dec. 21.
Statements have been released by school officials from Bethlehem, North Colonie, Guilderland and Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School Districts this past week in reference to rumors being spread by students about a possible incident to happen before winter break. All four districts have had local police look into the matter, and have said no evidence has been found to support the claims.
Coeymans police and RCS administrators first released a statement on Monday, Dec. 17. Officials said the rumor allegedly began two weeks ago after some students were overheard discussing the Second Amendment and changes to gun ownership laws. A third student heard a portion of the conversation, resulting in a game of “telephone.”
Local law enforcement investigated the matter and after interviewing students felt there was no immediate threat. However, in wake of the recent shooting in Newtown, Conn., Superintendent Alan McCartney and Coeymans Chief of Police Gregory Darlington made themselves available to answer questions. RCS High School Principal Brian Bailey also requested that a uniform patrol officer be stationed outside of the building for the final week of school before break.
“ As a school district, we will continue to work to prevent any type of incident by training our faculty and staff to detect problems before they occur,” said McCartney. “In this modern world our teachers and counselors are always on the lookout for the potential student who may seek to harm him or herself or others. We are taking every possible action to prevent bullying and reduce incidents that could result in violence.”
The district is now reviewing its safety plans and looking into installation of additional security systems, such as door buzzers, at each building.
BCSD released a similar statement on Tuesday, Dec. 18, with GCSD following suit the next day.
“We feel that there is no credible threat at this time,” said School Resource Officer and Bethlehem Police Officer David Harrington in a statement. Local police vowed to add a presence at schools as well, while Superintendent Tom Douglas said “students should not spread these rumors among their peers and should definitely bring them to our attention.”
On Wednesday morning, North Colonie Superintendent Joseph Corr said a teacher discovered graffiti of a “threatening nature” on the back of a girls’ bathroom door in Shaker High School. The teacher immediately reported the graffiti to the principal. The Colonie Police Department deemed the threat “generic and unspecified,” though according to the statement, police conducted a sweep of the building determining it was safe.
The districts strongly urge parents to discuss with their children the need to “responsibly inform” school personnel of safety concerns as the act of repeating rumors is causing unwarranted anxiety.
For further questions or information regarding the North Colonie School District, you can contact Corr at 785-8591, ext. 3117, or Shaker High School Principal Richard Murphy at 785-5511, ext. 3360.
Concerned parents of Bethlehem students are to contact Dr. Douglas at [email protected], high school principal Scott Landry at [email protected] or Officer David Harrington at [email protected].
Parents of RCS student with questions can contact Dr. McCartney at [email protected] or by calling 756-5200.
