HOPEWELL JUNCTION – Just days after having to close Roy C. Ketcham High School while police investigated a threat, two more threats of violence were reported. Two new concerning messages received late Thursday afternoon required immediate attention from district administration and law enforcement.
New threats were discovered at Wappinger Junior High School and Roy C. Ketcham High School. Both incidents were investigated by law enforcement. The Wappingers Central School District does not have a consistent agreement for school resource officers from one particular agency, so investigations are varied.
Thursday’s, threat at Wappinger Junior High School was discovered just before the end of the school day. Writing found in a bathroom indicated that a school shooting would occur at the school on Monday, February 28th.
State Police investigated and identified the individual responsible and determined the offender’s location. Unlike a similar incident at Poughkeepsie Middle School on Thursday, the school district did not indicate what legal actions were taken against the student. District Superintendent Dr. Dwight Bonk did say “As with any threat directed to a school, the district will pursue this issue in strict accordance with the District Code of Conduct and to the fullest extent of the law.”
In an email he sent out Thursday evening, Bonk said, “The nature and format of the messages that we have received this school year have varied considerably, but the increase in frequency, particularly over the past month or two has become incredibly disruptive to the daily operation of our schools.”
Thursday’s discovered threat against Roy C. Ketcham High School involved an individual who was broadcasting from a wireless hotspot signal after the conclusion of the school. The student’s phone was renamed to indicate a ‘school shooting’ was to occur. The superintendent said, “The district is working with our partners in the New York State Police Department on an investigation into this matter and we can report that this threat has been deemed non-credible at this time.”
Dr. Bonk’s statement on Thursday also said, “We will share additional information about these assemblies in the next week or so, and hope to have them completed prior to Spring Break.” It is unclear what assemblies he was referring to because the only reference to any type of assembly was the one in the last paragraph of his statement.
