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Date: 2/1/2023
LONGMEADOW – Longmeadow Public Schools (LPS) and the Longmeadow Police Department (LPD) are investigating a “threat of future school violence” that was found written in a restroom at Glenbrook Middle School on Jan. 26, according to Superintendent M. Martin O’Shea.
The threat was reported by a student at 2:35 p.m. Neither the school district nor the Police Department have specified what type of violence was threatened in the incident. In a statement on the LPD Facebook page, the department said, “The incident appears to be isolated to Glenbrook Middle School,” but police presence would be increased town-wide, and especially at the schools.
“Police and school personnel are taking this matter very seriously,” O’Shea said in a message to families sent out around 4:30 p.m. that day. Both the superintendent and the LPD emphasized in statements that the “top priority is the safety of our students, faculty and staff.”
The investigation is ongoing and, while the LPD and LPS have “no reason to believe the threat is credible,” they also have not been able to rule it out.
“In an abundance of caution,” O’Shea said the decision was made late on Jan. 26, to cancel school the following day. O’Shea told families in a statement, “Sadly, there are too many examples of school tragedies that could have been prevented with greater due diligence and investigation.”
O’Shea expressed gratitude to the school’s administration team and the police for their “diligence and determination.”
Students returned to Glenbrook on Jan. 30 with a two-hour delay. Counseling resources and support were made available to students to “promote a sense of safety and assure students that they are in the care of trusted adults,” O’Shea said.
Longmeadow police are urging anyone with information regarding this incident to call the Longmeadow Detectives Bureau Tip Line at 567-3311, ext. 9157.