By Anthony Rifilato
The evacuation came after a written bomb threat was found inside the building at around 2:15 p.m. on Jan. 4. The police were notified and at 2:40 p.m., shortly before the school's dismissal time, police recommended an evacuation of the building.
This is the second school year that the district has had to address a series of bomb threats. Last year, students, parents and school officials contended with a series of threats at Baldwin High School and middle school.
As part of the district's emergency safety plan, Meadow students were taken to Baldwin Middle School, due to its close proximity to Meadow at 880 Jackson Street. Meadow is the largest elementary school in the district with over 700 students. Christina Schmohl, the district's public information officer, said that the evacuation went without incident.
"The evacuation went without incident and safety was the main concern," Schmohl said.
Schmohl said that students in the lower grades were taken to the middle school cafeteria, while students in the upper grades were situated in the auditorium as they waited for their buses or parents to pick them up. Middle school students were dismissed first, followed by Meadow students.
"All of this was decided in terms of student safety," Schmohl said. "By 4 p.m., there were no children left, they had all been dismissed."
Schmohl said that the district did its best to notify parents, whether through a phone chain or by notifying parents who came to pick up their kids at Meadow, in turn directing them to the middle school.
"Unfortunately, this happened right at dismissal time," Schmohl said. "We reached the PTA president, and there was a phone chain."
The district also contacted the Barry and Florence Friedberg JCC, which coordinates an after-school-program at Meadow for students throughout Baldwin.
Police cleared the building just after 3 p.m. and no bomb was found at the school, though the district is taking the issue seriously, Schmohl said. School reopened the following day.
"The investigation is ongoing and it is something the district is taking very seriously," Schmohl said.
Last year's threats proved particularly frustrating, School Superintendent Dr. Robert Britto said in past interviews with the Herald. The new threat is no different, and Schmohl said administrators are working with police in order to stave off more incidents.
"The district is really working with the police to try and understand why it happened," Schmohl said. "It's a concern for the district too. No one is happy about this."
The district implemented a number of preventive measures last year to address the issue at the high school and middle school. At the high school, security cameras were installed, most pay phones were removed and personnel and teacher visibility were increased in the hallways, among other initiatives.
At the middle school, one student was arrested and suspended. Students must also show ID cards to use the bathrooms, and students must have an additional pass from their teacher when attending extra help in the morning before classes start.
"We did a lot last year when we had multiple threats at the high school," Schmohl said.
Now, the district is looking into what measures they should initiate at the elementary schools. On Monday, administrators were slated to conduct a post review of the incident at Meadow, where they would look into evacuation procedures and preventive measures.
At a Meadow PTA meeting the following night, about 65 parents attended, and Schmohl said she was informed that they were supportive and understanding, applauding the district's evacuation procedures.
"Due to the age of the kids, this recent incident is particularly disturbing," Schmohl said. "The post review will be used to look at how the emergency was handled and to make recommendations for improvement."
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