So Deforest High School will be closed tomorrow. The note is apparently quite helpful, it specifies the bomb will be in a boys’ restroom.
I’m curious, as I’ve never heard of a bomb threat quite like this. Have you?
Do you think it makes sense to close a school based on such a note? I have to appreciate it certainly makes the logistics of closing easier. If there IS a bomber he is the most considerate bomber ever. And possibly the stupidest.
Somebody didn’t want his parents to go to parent-teacher conferences. Or maybe he’s got a test tomorrow.
I’m violently reminded of the time someone pulled the fire alarm… on the second day (of a two-day rotation schedule), second period. Every single time, for something like a week. I appreciate that you don’t want to attend class, but come on.
Did the note have unusually bad handwriting?
Schools usually have a policy of closing down to avoid any and all bomb threats- this has led to many a times of abuse at my old schools, where a bomb threat was used simply to get out of class. I’ve gotten emails before telling me that X building was said to have a bomb in it in a threat, and that all classes in that building would be canceled or to avoid that building for the day by the administration. Usually it was nothing more than an anonymous tip pointing out the building and the day (usually the next). There never was a bomb in the 4-5 times it’d happen.
But the school always warned us and played it safe to cover its ass.
Interesting. What I meant to say in the OP is that all the bomb threats I recall are of the sort, “There is a bomb in your building.” I’ve never heard one say, “I’m going to put a bomb in your building in the near future.”
Not to make light of a bomb threat, but isn’t the school going to be closed anyway for Veterans’ Day?
<Goes off to read news clip> Hmmm… apparently Wisconsin schools don’t follow all of the usual holidays.
we used to get a few bomb threats like those, mostly just to cancel class for a couple hours I’m sure.
There was one time when a cop circling around the school parking lot saw a backpack under a car (which happened to be owned by a friend of mine) and called it in as a possible bomb. So my friend had to stand around and watch as a bomb disposal robot went over to his car, picked up his backpack, brought it out to a field, and blew it up. He had stashed his backpack, containing a reasonably expensive glass bong… er, a “tobacco water pipe,” under his car while he ran back to school for something (bathroom?) and came back to find the area roped off. He couldn’t exactly tell the police/school admin that it wasn’t a bomb, just his bong in the bag (at least, not without getting suspended or expelled) so he just had to watch it with a tear in his eye
I know it’s happened at my high school. Such things are fairly common, I assume, since they lead to a day without classes. Stupid Columbine…
We had bomb threats in my school in the 70’s. Most of the students hated the students that did this. It meant we had to leave the school when there already, and make up the missed time for the bomb threat. They did catch the perpetrators some times too. They were always one of the druggies that did it.
They will not have the students around if a bomb threat is received, because that would be extreme folly on the part of the authorities. You can also count on the missed time being made up, or they encourage students calling in bomb threats. Also schools have a minimum number of days they must educate the students or run foul of educational requirements.
I haven’t heard of a bomb threat like that at a school before, but it does the “job” - if the school found a bomb threat Monday night, they’d probably complete their inspections that day, but if it specifies Tuesday they do pretty much have to close Tuesday in case anyone sneaks something in.
Does it make sense to close the school? They sort of have to, even though it’s an empty threat. It’d be great if they refused to be manipulated by this, but of course if that happens and it turns out something was really going to happen, it’d be a disaster.
Well, nine times out of ten the police realize it’s just a damn kid making false/idle threats, but they have to consider the alternatives. Columbine, Beslan, and other places have pointed out that schools are perfect and viable targets anymore, so the police and Bomb Squad has to take it into consideration. Besides, it’s good practice for the Bomb Squads (which is a double-edged sword in an of itself).
Yes, it is quite possible–as far fetched as it seems–that al Qaeda or other groups are probing and testing schools as possible targets. This wasted time and effort makes it incumbent on students who know is making these cheesed*ck threats to come forward and point out who’s making 'em.
But, you have to investigate every . . . single . . . one.
Tripler
“Alright Barney, send in the dogs.”
I’m just happy Deforest Kelly has a school named after him.
Way to go Dr. McCoy!