A juvenile male student was questioned Monday for allegedly writing a threat on a bathroom wall at Floyd C. Fretz Middle School.
A joint press release from Bradford City Police Lt. Butch Bartlett, supervising officer on the scene and school board member, and Bradford Area Superintendent Katy Pude said the threat was reported at 3:19 p.m., after school had been dismissed for the day.
“On arrival investigating officers along with Bradford Area School District administration put the school into a ‘shelter in place,’” the release read.
A shelter in place, as approved by the Bradford district’s school board, keeps everyone out of the hallways and in classrooms while the threat is being assessed.
“Officers and BASD administration were quickly able to identify the juvenile that made the threat,” the release read. Police secured the school while the juvenile was found and interviewed.
Police indicated the youth did make the threat, but “there was no means for the juvenile to carry out the threat.”
Assisting Bradford police was the Cattaraugus County, N.Y., sheriff’s office K-9 unit, which searched the building.
Contacted late Monday, Pude provided a statement to The Era. She said the statement will be on the district’s website as well.
Pude said she shares the public’s concern and fear after the tragic school shooting in Florida last week.
“These events often prompt other students to also create threatening messages, as is occurring across our nation,” she said. “Over the past week, there have been concerns related to students making threats within our own schools.
“I feel it is necessary to calm these valid concerns, many raised by social media posts. There were two alleged written threats, and in both instances, our administration and resource officers acted swiftly to take immediate action.”
She said all steps were taken to make sure students were safe.
“It is important to understand that as a school system, we are unable to provide details of these recent situations because they relate to minors,” Pude said. “The district is also prohibited under federal privacy laws from disclosing specific disciplinary consequences assigned to students.”
She continued, explaining that the safety of students is the top priority for the district. All state and federal laws were followed in both investigations, Pude said.
“I’d like to emphasize how important information sharing is in preventing a crisis situation from occurring and would like to commend the students and parents who informed us that these writings existed,” the superintendent said. “It is working together as a school system and community that we can continue to provide our youth with the safe environment that they deserve.”
The joint release concluded with a statement from the police and the district.
“The City of Bradford Police Department and the Bradford Area School District take any incidents involving the safety of our students seriously and will be continuing to address this incident appropriately.”
