Date: April 14, 2005
Written By: Carrie Simmons - Staff Writer
Police locked down Westford Academy Monday after a student discovered a threatening message last Thursday afternoon written on the boys' bathroom wall..
Police Capt. Edward Cossette declined to comment on the nature of the threat but said it threatened students, faculty and the building. The threat cited the date of April 11.
Westford detectives gathered evidence from the scene with the assistance of the North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC), a consortium of 35 police chiefs representing law enforcement agencies from communities in Middlesex and Essex Counties.
"If we determine who the culprit is, they will be charged to the maximum extent of the law," Cossette said Monday morning outside the school. The student or students could be charged with threatening to commit a crime and disruption of a school assembly, which are both misdemeanors.
When students arrived Friday morning, several police cruisers were already at the school. Principal Ellen Parker made an announcement to students during second period that police were conducting an investigation but it would otherwise be a normal day at Westford Academy.
Parker sent a letter home with each student on Friday and a voice message was sent to each home through the school's all-call phone system to alert parents of the threat and the procedure for Monday.
Westford detectives and building custodial staff searched the school over the weekend along with a search dog and did not find anything suspicious, according to Cossette.
On Monday, doors to the building were locked and students were allowed to enter through the main entrance, the bus lobby and the senior parking lot entrance. All three entrances were manned with a police officer. Students were asked to open their book bags, gym bags and pocketbooks so that faculty members could search them.
Officers were also seen walking through parking lots after school began, inspecting the interior of cars belonging to both students and faculty members. Teachers were shown samples of the handwriting on the wall and asked to compare that writing with student work.
"Everybody has been very cooperative," said Cossette, speaking of both students and staff. "I always expect cooperation with departments but the cooperation of students has been phenomenal."
Westford Academy experienced a similar threat last year around the same time. A similar procedure was followed, according to Superintendent of Schools Stephen Foster, although investigators were not able to identify the person responsible for last year's threat.
"We take all threats seriously," said Foster.
Foster said NEMLEC detectives used the organization's School Threat Assessment and Response System (STARS) protocol to help school officials and police determine if Monday's plan adequately and reasonably dealt with the threat.
They had no additional recommendations, Foster said.
"I was pleased with the cooperation of the Police Department, the teachers, the students and the NEMLEC organization," Foster said Tuesday. "It was a team effort."
If the responsible student is identified, he or she could be expelled and the School Department has not ruled out seeking restitution for the resources that were spent to investigate the threat and add security to the building.
"We were all very offended by the fact that someone would do this to our school community," said Parker. "Nobody has the right to disrupt what we do on a daily basis. Students come to learn and teachers come to teach. It's a frustrating experience."
Parker could not immediately say how many students were absent Monday, but said about half were seniors who called themselves in and said parents had given them permission.
Senior Chris Gosselin said about one-third of students of his classmates were not at school, but most students didn't seem overly concerned about the threat or the police presence on campus because a similar threat was made last year.
"I wasn't scared. I was kind of used to it," he said. "In all four years at Westford Academy, I've never felt threatened because they do a good job of taking care of us."
Gosselin said he was annoyed more than anything about having his bag searched, being late for first period and missing other activities.
Performances of "The Boys Next Door" were held on Friday and Saturday night as scheduled. However, a six-hour rehearsal for "Anything Goes," the spring production in which Gosselin plays a lead role, was canceled on Sunday.
"It just threw us off," said Gosselin. "It was just something that got in the way of our regular activities."
Anyone with information that could be helpful to the investigation should call the Westford Police Department at 978-692-2161.
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