Birchland Park Middle School deemed safe after bomb scare
Date: 12/19/2012
By Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.comEAST LONGMEADOW — Birchland Park Middle School has been deemed safe, according to East Longmeadow Public Schools (ELPS) Superintendent Gordon Smith and Police Chief Douglas Mellis.
The school was evacuated at approximately 2 p.m. on Dec. 19 in response to a statement made via phone to the front office that there was an explosive device in the school.
Mellis told the Board of Selectmen at its Dec. 19 meeting that a State Police bomb-sniffing dog was used in a search of the building and no device was located. He said the school was safe and it was determined that school would resume on Dec. 20.
A recorded phone message to East Longmeadow residents from Smith stated, "The State Police bomb squad along with local police officers, fire fighters, and ELPS administrators and staff thoroughly searched the building for any explosive device. Nothing was found during this search. The Birchland Park Middle School has been deemed safe."
While initial media reports said that a threat was written on a bathroom wall, East Longmeadow Police Sgt. Patrick Manley said those reports were inaccurate.
"Someone called the school and made some indication that there might be some type of device in the school that presented a danger to the students and staff," he said. "The school was immediately evacuated."
When addressing the Board of Selectmen, Mellis credited
Reminder Publications with publishing correct information while other news outlets used unverified information that proved to be false in their initial reports.
Manley said that the timing of the threat coincided with the end of the school day and therefore faculty and staff were able to coordinate the evacuation with bus and parent pick-ups, ensuring that every child got home safely.
"This occurred shortly after 2 p.m., contemporaneous with the dismissal of students, so without much time to organize, the staff here did their normal evacuation and school bus pickup at the same time," Manley said, explaining that the buses and parents were able to pick up children on Hanward Hill Road. "Everyone got out of school safely and went home safely."
Police, fire and ambulance service were on scene and Manley said that a search for the device would be conducted.
"We're using the resources of our Fire Department and the State Police bomb squad is going to come to assist us and we're going to check the school out," he said. "If everything turns out OK, we're going to turn the school back over to the school staff.
The threat came just days after the massacre of 26 people — 20 of them children — at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. In response to that incident, Smith recently met with Mellis to discuss the school's safety procedures and additional training and Manley said that those measures "worked in this case."
In addition to Smith's meeting with Mellis, East Longmeadow schools are taking measures to reassure parents of the safety of students when in the confines of school buildings.
East Longmeadow High School Principal Gina Flanagan addressed concerns regarding school safety in the wake of the shooting in a blog post on the high school's website, assuring parents that incidents such as these were uncommon, but that the school takes extensive preventative measures.
She said that in addition to all doors being locked throughout the day and the presence of a student resources officer, her school has already put its comprehensive safety plan into action. She explained that on two separate occasions this school year, the entire school conducted drills simulating an intruder lockdown as well as a full evacuation of the building.
"We will continue to run these drills regularly so that our students and staff are on alert and know what is expected of them in an emergency," Flanagan said.
Seven new cameras, which are monitored by the school resource officer, administration and staff, were also installed during the summer.
Meadowbrook School Principal Lisa Dakin told parents via the school's website that her school had also recently conducted a lockdown drill under the supervision of a student resource officer and like East Longmeadow High School, keeps all doors locked during the school hours and had new security cameras at their disposal.
All of the schools are also providing the opportunity for students to speak with councilors and have made information available to parents on how to talk to children about violence.
