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Bomb threat redux
(by Maggie Fazeli Fard - May 13, 2008)
Exactly one year to the day after the first of two bomb threats was discovered at Roberge Elementary School in River Vale, the first of two similar threats was discovered at Holdrum Middle School last week.
The first incident was reported at approximately 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 8 at Holdrum Middle School, said River Vale Police Captain Michael McCann. A student discovered the single word “bomb” handwritten on a wall in a boys’ bathroom. He reported it to a custodian who reported it to the administration. The students were evacuated immediately and police reported to the school to secure the scene and begin their investigation.
A second bomb threat was discovered in the same manner on Friday, May 9 at approximately 2 p.m. Again, there was a handwritten bomb threat on a boys’ bathroom wall, albeit a different bathroom.
“Friday was a little more hectic,” admitted McCann, noting that the late hour “definitely impacted dismissal,” with school buses impeding traffic. Additionally, rainy weather made finding shelter for the sixth, seventh and eighth grade students an issue.
Students were split up between River Vale Town Hall across the street on River Vale Road and various shelters, such as garages, on school grounds.
Still, McCann said that the school’s emergency management procedure was followed in an orderly fashion on both days with no panic. Superintendent of Schools David Verducci agreed.
“The staff and the students were really very responsive,” said Verducci. “I have nothing but praise for them, the police and emergency personnel. It makes me feel much better that if, God forbid, there was a real emergency, we are prepared for it.”
Verducci said that approximately 110 minutes of classroom instructional time was lost. The process of making that time up has already begun by reconfiguring non-academic time periods to make room for additional instruction in the schedule.
“This time will be made up within the next two weeks,” assured Verducci.
The matter is currently being investigated by the township’s detective bureau as well as the school administration.
Last year’s case, which was investigated by Detective Sgt. Sean Scheidle and Detective John DeVoe, was resolved on June 12, 2007 with the filing of juvenile delinquency complaints for handwritten bomb threats found on May 8 and June 1.
Due to the involvement of one or more juveniles, no further information was released by police and the matter was referred to a family court.
“I don’t know what it is,” said McCann of the coincidental timing of bomb threats in 2007 and 2008. “We’re just hoping that we’re able to resolve it and discourage it from happening again in the future.”
Maggie Fazeli Fard's e-mail address is fazelifard@northjersey.com.
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