Security at Green High School was heightened May 9 after officials found a threatening message in one of the school’s bathrooms the evening of May 8.
Parents were notified late May 8 of the threat in a message through the Green school district’s ParentSquare accounts. The message from the school’s principal described the threat as an act of vandalism.
Details of the threat were not included, but Principal Cindy Brown said the Summit County Sheriff’s Office had been notified and conducted a search of the building.
“They will also maintain an increased presence on campus tomorrow (May 9) to ensure the safety of our students and staff,” she said.
Parent expresses concerns, praises school action
Josh Fitzgerald, a parent whose daughter attends the high school, said he kept his daughter out of school May 9 and was aware of other parents who did the same.
“I did feel good that they had the police there and were pretty proactive,” Fitzgerald said. “(But) if there’s some type of active threat, I didn’t want my kid going to school.”
Julie McMahan, coordinator of Communication, Community Engagement and Student Wellness for the Green schools, said the district was acting to ensure students and staff were safe.
She said the Sheriff’s Office was conducting an investigation and the district had been asked not to provide specific details about the threat. She said there had not been a significant amount of students staying home.
Fitzgerald said that his concerns were intensified by the lack of information about the threat. Social media commenters on a post about the incident described a gun-related threat, but that could not be immediately confirmed with authorities.
“To me, (the message) was kind of vague, but it hinted at some kind of threat,” he said. “If it’s that serious, why aren’t you being more specific?”
He said he saw a significant law enforcement presence May 8 when he took his daughter to school that day.
“I counted 10 cruisers I could see on that side of the school,” he said. “(But) I didn’t get a message from Green school until that night.”
He said, however, that he understood the district’s desire not to induce panic.
Security at Green High ‘maintained until there’s a resolution’
McMahan said the district maintains a school resource officer on a daily basis and that additional officers were at the school May 9. She said the Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating the threats to determine the culprit.
Summit County Sheriff’s Office Inspector Bill Holland said the afternoon of May 9 that the detective bureau is investigating the threats, but declined to discuss specifics. He said investigators are looking at both the vandalism and threats at the school.
“There was vandalism and there were threats,” he said. “There were both.”
He said the level of security on May 12 will be determined by the progress of the investigation.
“We will continue however long it takes,” he said. “Increased security will be maintained until there’s a resolution to the situation.”
Fitzgerald said he hadn’t made a decision on whether he wanted his daughter to go to school on May 12.
“If they don’t have a resolution by Monday, I don’t want her going to school,” he said.
Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj or Facebook at www.facebook.com/alan.newsman.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Green High School increases security after threats found in school