By:Jonann Brady
bh bomb threat 10/25
Internet threat under investigation
Baldwin Senior High School and Baldwin Middle School were on high alert on Oct. 17 after a student found a bomb threat message on a web site. No threat was called in on Wednesday and the day passed without incident.
A high school student saw the message on an Internet bulletin board frequently used by Baldwin middle and high school students. The posting claimed a bomb threat would be called into a Baldwin school on Wednesday, Oct.17, said police. The student alerted Principal Susan Knors on Friday, Oct. 12 about the message and the police were immediately called, said Trish Hughes, spokesperson for the school district.
According to the First Precinct detective working on the case, the message was very unspecific and stated that a bomb threat would be called into a school on that day, not that a bomb would actually be planted. He also said the Internet site is not an official school-sanctioned site, but an open forum maintained by students themselves where they can post anonymous messages on "blast boards."
Anyone who knows the web address can log on to the site, but because the posters are anonymous and frequently change their Internet names, the messages are difficult to trace, said the detective. A computer crime expert is part of the on-going investigation, he added.
School officials and the police were quick to take action after learning about the message. On Monday, Oct. 15, students from both schools were sent home with a letter to parents alerting them to the threat and outlining the security measures that would be in place at the school on Wednesday. Students were not allowed to bring
bags or backpacks to school that day, and if they brought a lunch, it had to be in a clear plastic bag.
The night of Oct. 16, police swept both buildings with bomb-sniffing dogs and found nothing suspicious, said the detective. The school was locked down that night and police were present at both schools on the 17th.
Despite lower attendance at both schools on Wednesday, students and staff were calm, said Hughes.
One Baldwin senior said most of her classes were half full and not much work was accomplished.
"We didn't really do work in any classes but math and chemistry. In other classes, they showed movies and did worksheets," said Rachel Dominique, 17.
