A threat that closed schools in Colchester on Thursday was ultimately deemed not credible, town officials said.
After receiving notice of the threat Wednesday evening, officials told community members that they would close all schools in the Colchester School District on Thursday “out of an abundance of caution.”
By Thursday afternoon, Colchester Police Chief Douglas Allen said, “We have been able to deem that this was not a credible threat. … There is no intent of the person to act on the statement that they made, and the individual does not have any access to weapons that we’re aware of.”
School will resume Friday on a normal schedule, Colchester School Superintendent Amy Minor said, and district officials planned an emergency meeting to discuss how to support students returning to the classroom.
On Wednesday, Colchester police received a report of a threat against Colchester Middle School made by a student there. The student said “they were going to commit an act of shooting at the school,” Allen said at a Thursday afternoon press conference.
The threat was made in a chatroom as part of an online game that students were playing, Allen said. Other students playing the game told their parents about the threat, who then went to the authorities, he said.
Minor declined to say whether the student will face disciplinary action but said the school takes such situations “very seriously,” and plans to follow its standard disciplinary procedures and student handbook.
According to the student handbook, consequences for threatening behavior or intimidation can include communication with the parent or guardian, suspension and the creation of an improvement plan.
Allen said police could consider pursuing a juvenile delinquency petition for the student.
“We’ve already started discussions with the Chittenden County State’s Attorney’s Office,” he said. “The goal always with juveniles is making sure that proper services are in place to assist the child.”
The incident is among an apparent surge of non-credible threats of violence made against a Vermont school. Last year, dozens of schools in Vermont received hoax threats, sometimes canceling classes or changing schedules.
It’s also not the first threat to disrupt classes at Colchester Middle School. In June, the school received two threats just days apart, one of which led to students being released early.
Colchester Middle School administrators “are going to be having some conversations with students and trying to encourage them — when you see something, say something,” Minor said. “And if you’re uncomfortable at school, let us know so that we can follow through.”
