Article published April 21, 2007
Toledo area schools hit with variety of unsettling threats
Copy cats emerge after tragedy
Students leave Bowling Green High School where someone had scrawled a threatening message on restroom stalls.
(
THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT
)
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By IGNAZIO MESSINA
and JENNIFER FEEHAN
Blade Staff WriterS
BOWLING GREEN - More than half of Bowling Green High School students skipped school yesterday after someone this week scrawled "school shooting-4/20" on two restroom stalls.
Schools across the nation were dealing with threats of violence or bombs this week in the wake of Monday's Virginia Tech shootings.
The Ohio State University Lima campus and Rhodes State College were evacuated Wednesday after an anonymous bomb threat, Allen County Sheriff Dan Beck said.
At Unity Elementary, also in Lima, an anonymous caller made a bomb threat Wednesday. The building was searched with a bomb-sniffing dog, but it was not evacuated, Lima police said.
No bomb was found at either location, authorities said.
Bowling Green Principal Jeff Dever said about 60 percent of the 1,100 students were absent yesterday.Mr. Dever sent e-mails to parents informing them of what he called "two incidents of somewhat intimidating graffiti" discovered Thursday morning.
"I don't think somebody's going to come in and shoot up the school. But I'm not going to take that chance, so we've taken precautions," Mr. Dever said.
Superintendent Hugh Caumartin said the day ended without incident.
"Except for pretty high absences, it was a very normal day," he said. "Kids were coming in like they always do - joking and having a good time."
Mr. Caumartin said the threat, which he believes was a prank, combined with the massacre at Virginia Tech and yesterday's anniversary of the shootings at Columbine High School compelled some parents to keep their children home.
"We've gone a long way in making sure the kids feel safe," he said. "In a lot of ways, it was a perfect storm with the anniversary of Columbine, Virginia Tech, and you have the sensationalism of the electronic media."
Bowling Green police Deputy Chief Brad Conner said extra officers were at the school all day.
Perrysburg High School officials said they suspended the student suspected of scrawling graffiti on a wall threatening a bombing there, and said only about 20 more students than usual were absent yesterday.
Perrysburg schools Superintendent Michael Cline said school yesterday was calm.
"I think because of the heightened concern at the national level with all the news, many people have been on pins and needles about these types of things and that is understandable," Mr. Cline said.
Springfield High School had a threat scrawled on its walls. Officials said about 11 percent of students were absent yesterday, 5 percent more than normal.
Meanwhile, a 15-year-old Whitmer High School student was heard saying Wednesday he was going to shoot up everyone in a locker room at the school, 5601 Clegg Drive, according to Toledo police.
An 18-year old senior at the school told police the boy, known only as Dan, felt he was being harassed by other students.
She did not witness the incident but said many others did and spoke of their concern about the boy carrying out his threat. Police reports do not indicate anyone has been charged.
Staff writer Christina Hall contributed to this report.
Contact Ignazio Messina at:
imessina@theblade.com
or 419-724-6171.
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