By Anthony Rifilato
The bomb threats came just a week after Nassau County police issued a lockdown for the Baldwin, Rockville Centre and Oceanside school districts following a shooting on Gale Avenue on Feb. 1. There was also a lockdown of several school districts, including Baldwin, last November, when police searched for an armed suspect in the area after an attempted bank robbery.
The latest incidents occurred on Feb. 7 and 8. The first threat was called in to 911 on Tuesday at around 11:30 a.m., and police ordered an evacuation of the school, a spokesperson for the school district said. Students and staff were immediately evacuated as police searched the building with a canine unit and officers from the Arson/Bomb Squad. "We went through the school and conducted a search," said Lt. Andrew Fal of the 1st Precinct.
Some students waited on buses at a safe distance from the building, and others were gathered on the bleachers. Some were given thermal blankets as they waited outside.
After they canvassed the building, police determined that there was no bomb and that it was safe for students and staff to re-enter the school at 1:15 p.m., at which point the regular schedule resumed. "We did a check of the school, and obviously there was no bomb," said Fal.
It didn't end there, however.
On Wednesday morning at 9:45, another caller dialed 911 and said there was a bomb in the high school. Police responded, and again students and staff were evacuated, some on buses, others to the bleachers.
At 10:35, the police search ended, and, once again, no bomb was found. The school day proceeded as usual.
As of press time, police said they had no suspects, but the investigation was continuing. Fal explained that the first call to 911 was made by a female from a phone inside the high school, and the second call was made by a male at a pay phone on Grand Avenue. He added that even though the threats may have been a prank, they were taken seriously.
School officials said they err on the side of caution when such threats are made, and that they are cooperating with police in their search for suspects.
Fal said that traditionally, these type of threats are phoned in by students. "We're following up on this," he said, explaining that making such a threat is a felony. "We would love to solve this and make an arrest. It's just really unfair and disruptive to students."
For the remainder of the week, the high school was secured by police in the hope of staving off any other threats, and entry into the building was limited to two doors. Students were not allowed to bring book bags or cell phones into the building, and lockers were tagged and sealed, said school spokeswoman Cristina Schmohl.
Frustration
While police continued to search for suspects, students and parents expressed their frustration with the ordeal. One student, who asked not to be named, said that during the first evacuation, school staff members were instructed to shut the blinds and doors in the classrooms, while students were advised to turn off all electronic devices as they waited outside.
"It was so freaky, no one knew what was going on," the student said, adding that she waited in the cold and on the bleachers for about an hour and was told that it was a bomb scare only after the OK was given to return to the building.
She said that a lot of students are stressed out over the recent string of incidents. "Last week we had the lockdown," she said. "It's like every week there's something going on."
After the second bomb scare, a group of students, none of whom would give their names, also voiced their frustration. "It's just really annoying," one student said outside the Baldwin Shopping Center, adding that she and her friends were "fed up" and wanted their school to return to normal. "Students who were in gym had to wait outside in their shorts," she said.
The students said that while some waited on buses, there weren't enough of them to accommodate every student, and that the thermal blankets given out proved useless. "Most people didn't get on buses," another student said. "Those blankets were like tin foil."
At last week's school board meeting, parents also voiced their concern and said that they were frustrated by a number of issues, like not being able to contact their children during the incidents, certain communication and evacuation procedures, and the recurrence of lockdowns and threats. "Children are coming home with very poor images of the school," said a parent.
School board president James Scannell emphasized that the recent events are very different and unfortunate, but that they were police matters. They shouldn't be a reflection on the schools, he said, since it "is beyond control of the school," which "cannot control a police chase or individuals who call in bomb threats."
Explaining that incidents sometimes happen in waves, Scannell and other board members said the frustration parents have is valid and that the board shares those concerns. "As parents, it's scary," said board member Anne Hannon, who has children in the district.
One parent said she believed there was a "seeming lack of orderly evacuation procedures" following the bomb threats. "We're at the verge of losing control ... I want to know what's going to be done," she told the board.
Other parents said that the thermal blankets were inadequate, and that there were not enough buses issued to house students during the evacuation. Others said that communication was an issue, and that while the school district does have a safety alert e-mail list and updates the district Web site during these incidents, a greater effort needs to be made to contact parents.
One woman said she wanted to be able to call her daughter's cell phone. "When these things happen, I want to contact my children," she said. But school officials stressed that police had issued strict instructions to turn off all phones, since they could potentially trigger a bomb, among other reasons.
Parents also asked about safety in the cafeteria during the recent lockdowns, saying that there were too many students there at once. Scannell said that an effort was being made not to gather too many students in the cafeteria if a lockdown ever happens again.
School Superintendent Dr. Robert Britto also said that officials are reviewing lockdown and evacuation procedures and how to improve upon them.
One parent, Bernice Williams, wanted to know how the community would address the recent spate of incidents and come up with solutions. "We can't sit around and wait for it to happen," said Williams. "The kids are tired of it."
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