Editor’s note: This is a merging of two stories by Jordan Cuddemi, one published Tuesday and one Wednesday in the Valley News.
[H]ANOVER, N.H. — A 14-year-old girl in Canada has been arrested in connection with social media threats directed at some Hanover High School students on Tuesday, according to police.
The unidentified juvenile has been formally charged by Canadian authorities with posting a threat on an Instagram account with the handle “hanoverhighschooting,” Hanover police said in a news release this morning.
In a telephone interview, Hanover Lt. Scott Rathburn said as of this morning, there is no known connection between the girl and Hanover High School. He declined to say where in Canada the girl is located, citing the ongoing investigation.
The Hanover Police Department is working with authorities in Canada to investigate whether the threat was meant for Hanover High School in New Hampshire, among other questions. The account’s handle didn’t specify a state or country, although it followed several accounts belonging to students in this state.
Hanover police said Canadian law enforcement searched a residence in that country and seized the girl’s electronic devices. Those devices are currently being examined by Canadian authorities, according to the news release.
Hanover High School Principal Justin Campbell and Superintendent Jay Badams both issued statements this morning updating the school community on the Hanover Police Department’s progress.
“I want you all to know that after speaking with the chief this morning I feel confident that yesterday’s situation has been resolved. I look forward to a return to normalcy, to reviewing our security protocols in light of this incident,” Campbell said via email this morning to parents.
High-schoolers from Norwich, Vermont, attend Hanover High School, as do other students from Vermont Upper Valley towns that have high school choice.
Juniors are taking SATs today at Hanover High; students in all other grades do not have school today.
The threat — which was made on Instagram, a social network that allows users to share photos and videos — prompted scores of students to leave school early Tuesday. Hanover police officers stood guard at the school all day while also calling other law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, for assistance.
The Instagram account’s threat referenced a firearm, but gave no specific day or time for an attack. The bio reads, in part, “THIS IS FOR WHAT YOU’VE GIVEN ME FOR 2 YEARS STRAIGHT I GIVE NO MERCY IF I SEE YOU YOU GET SHOT. IT HAPPENS SOON … MAYBE TODAY … ”
The account, which has the name “Its Over For U (expletive),” is public, meaning it can be viewed by anyone, although no posts have been made. As of Tuesday night, the account remained active on Instagram. Over the course of the day, the account was following as few as three other accounts and as many as seven.
The account’s profile picture is an internet stock image of a female clad in a black dress, holding rifles. Her face isn’t visible in the photograph.
The threat was brought to police attention on Tuesday morning after the account started following some Hanover students’ accounts, police said. Several students took a screenshot of the account’s profile and sent it to faculty and staff at the school, something Campbell commended the students for doing.
Police responded promptly and monitored the school’s campus throughout the day.
The Hanover High School community remained on high alert throughout the morning.
School administrators implemented a “closed campus,” meaning students had to stay inside or be checked in and out of the building, instead of being able to move freely around campus. Typically, students who have the open campus privilege can leave during free periods, Campbell said.
Tom Blinkhorn, a Hanover resident, said he noticed police officers around Hanover High as he dropped off his son Will, a sophomore, at school early Tuesday morning.
Will soon texted him about the threat and Blinkhorn called the high school office to say his son had permission to sign out for the day, though he planned to return for a sports activity after school.
“I feel badly because I had always assumed that in this little bubble in Hanover and Norwich and the Upper Valley, I always felt we were safe from these kinds of things, but the infection is spreading across the country,” said Blinkhorn, an occasional contributor to the Valley News.
By midday, parents had checked the majority of students out of school, according to several students who exited.
“It feels safe inside, but it’s uncomfortable waiting,” Hanover High senior Olivia Skirvin, 18, said after she checked herself out of school. “A lot of kids have left. People are doing what makes them feel safe right now.”
Junior Jett Elin said he didn’t know much about the Instagram account other than the fact that it existed.
When students arrived at school on Tuesday morning, several appeared nervous, Elin said.
“Everyone was on edge,” he said, adding that around 10:45 a.m., classrooms were “pretty empty.”
Norwich resident Chris Trimble said his wife found out about the situation early Tuesday morning and relayed the message to him. Campbell, the principal, emailed the school community around 7:45 a.m. notifying parents and students about the threat, and school officials sent out updates during the day.
“We’re worried,” Trimble said when asked why he picked up his freshman son Hank, along with their neighbors’ son, from school. Trimble said the check-out process inside the school was “smooth and calm.”
Hanover High School has various protocols and procedures in place in the event of an emergency, such as a threat or an active shooter, Campbell said. Drills are held often and the procedures are reviewed regularly.
“I have received many questions about safety protocols. We do our best to make sure our procedures, training and buildings are as safe as can be,” Campbell said in a formal announcement on Tuesday afternoon. “We will review all of our practices after this most recent incident.”
