Threat Rumor at MHS Investigated and Dismissed

Police greet students at MHS Monday morning.

Social media among Middletown High School students buzzed this weekend about a rumored threat at the school.

"We heard about it on Friday, and of course, investigated it immediately with the Middletown Police," said Superintendent of Schools Michael Conner.

Conner said the rumor began Friday among students, who were identified and interviewed by police.  He said that the threat proved to be unsubstantiated, but that did not prevent the rumor from persisting on social media over the weekend.

Marco Gaylord, school director of operations, sent an email to all MHS parents just past midnight on Monday morning explaining the threat and ensuing investigation.



Despite the investigation, the mayor, police department and superintendent decided to have a significant police presence on campus on Monday morning to reassure stude
nts, parents and teachers.

Conner noted that protocol dictates that once the threat was reported to police, it became a police investigative matter, and all communication about the investigation, the threat itself and the support provided by the police become a matter communicated or directed by the PD.

"We'll be sending a district communication update to parents mid-morning," Conner said by phone as he greeted students at MHS this morning.  "Of course, it's important to take these kind of threats seriously, and we investigated, and continued to monitor the situation all weekend, into last night, and were convinced that it was safe for students and school personnel to be at school on Monday.

Mayor Dan Drew posted assurances to parents and students on Facebook early Monday morning.