This is the article from the Star Ledger:
http://www.nj.com/newslogs/starledger/index.ssf?/mtlogs/njo_ledgerupdate/archives/2007_01.html#228985
And here is what the school officials had to say:
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are writing to communicate details of a situation that is on-going at the Central Middle School. Yesterday, on January 23 rd, we received a phone message that essentially was a bomb scare warning us about Monday, January 29 th. Coincidentally, today a misplaced backpack was found outside the school.
On both days, the Long Hill Township Police were immediately notified. Today, representatives from the Long Hill Township Police, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and the Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad came to the school to check out the backpack. As you know, we evacuated the school as per emergency procedures. The backpack was evaluated and nothing threatening was found. What follows is a plan for the immediate future.
The trained authorities see this as a low level threat. Nevertheless, we are taking significant precautions. In preparation for Monday, there will be a police and Bomb Squad presence on Friday afternoon to allow for a sweep of the building. After school on Friday, the building will be locked down for the weekend. There will be no after school activities on Friday and no Saturday activities; all recreation activities have been cancelled for both days.
On Monday, there will be a delayed opening for the entire district so that the police can once again sweep the Central School prior to the arrival of the students. There will also be a police presence in the building on Monday. The Police Department, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office and the school district have combined all of their experience and expertise on this type of matter. Given that this is a low level threat, some may find the precautions to be extreme. However, student and staff safety is our most vital concern. Please keep in mind that we will maintain extra vigilance at Gillette and Millington.
We wish to thank the Long Hill Township Police, the County Prosecutor’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office, St. Vincent DePaul School, the staff and the students for an excellent and appropriate response to the day’s events. If you have any questions regarding any aspect of this note, contact Mr. DiBenedetto or Mr. Cimino.
Sincerely,
Art DiBenedetto
Rick Cimino
Karen Wetherell
Any thoughts? I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking that Monday would be a nice day for their kids to come down with a 24-hour virus (as irrational as that may be!)
Lisa
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Lisa Clarke
Have had your daily dose of Polka Dots?
