A Staples student was arrested by the Westport Police Department on Sept. 16, following a threat made on social media. Earlier that same day, threatening graffiti was found in Staples bathrooms. The two incidents were unrelated, and no arrests were made in the graffiti incident. Neither of the investigated threats were deemed credible.

Shooting threats have been increasingly impacting Connecticut schools. According to CT Insider, more than 35 threats were reported in Connecticut between Sept. 4 – Sept. 21, with the youngest arrested student being only 12 years old. This led some to question the reaction of local police to shooting threats.

“The police department takes all threats seriously, and we respond the same way for each case,” Westport Police Lieutenant Eric Woods said. “We investigate the incident, identify those responsible, and charge them accordingly if a crime has occurred.”

Although arrests are often made in conjunction with shooting threats, it is unlikely for the arrested student to face major legal punishment.

“To be very frank, if a juvenile is arrested, they go to court and that’s about it,” Woods said. “There are no real consequences for juveniles in Connecticut. Most times, these crimes are not allowed to be diverted to our local Juvenile Review Board.”

Staples also faced a “swatting” incident when the school was closed for Rosh Hashana on Oct. 3. “Swatting” is a criminal act where someone makes a false report to emergency services in order to provoke an aggressive response. The goal is to harass, intimidate, or harm the unsuspecting victim. Woods confirmed that Westport PD had intelligence prior to the incident and knew that the school was going to be closed. When the “swatting” call came in, Westport PD was on the scene, and the school was empty.

The police are not the only team working to prevent school threats.  In fact, a lesser-known force is a team of administration, teachers, school counselors, and Westport police that work together to ensure Staples safety when there is a threat to the school. This team is called the Threat Assessment Team. Simply put, the team works together to determine the severity of threats and the safety actions that should be taken, whether that be an email to parents, a lockdown drill, or canceling school for the day. The team is made up of representatives from different groups in the school to protect students’ physical and mental safety.

“Every threat that comes in, we do a threat assessment on it,” School officer Ed Woolridge said.

The Threat Assessment Team meets regularly to discuss topics that could potentially threaten the school or student safety. They also discuss the schools responses to incidents that have already occurred—what went well and what they could improve on. Additionally, they review what is able to be shared through emails and announcements, and whether an incident is threatening enough to bring to a further precaution level.

When the team decides it’s appropriate, Superintendent Thomas Scarice is the one who writes the email. They also have to decide what to tell the public to ensure they are protecting minors.

“We have to be very thoughtful about student privacy,”  Staples guidance counselor William Plunkett said. “As much as we like to put information out that could help people feel at ease, we are limited in what we can share.”

To combat the rise in violence within Fairfield County schools, Connecticut Education Association (CEA) Vice President Joslyn DeLancey has striven for new measures that will make Connecticut public schools safer and more equitable. Recently, the CEA passed “school climate” legislation, which requires all schools to develop a school climate improvement plan. The plan should originate from a committee that includes teachers, administrators, students, and at least two community members beyond the school system. The CEA has also determined that on-site health centers have been successful in supporting students and families, but they have been implemented by very few schools.

“It’s hard enough to feel safe taking academic risks and making friends in school with general conditions and stressors,” DeLancey said. “Add in a school threat, and now instead of just having to worry about the general day-to-day things, [students] now have to worry about whether or not they are safe in their classrooms.”

This story was originally published on Inklings on October 31, 2024.