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Second threat closes school on Thursday
March 5, 2008 - 11:39am — Journal Staff
Classes at International Falls schools have been canceled for Thursday after a second threat was called in declaring a bomb would be on campus at 11 a.m., according to school officials. Evidence concludes that the caller was the same person who called in a threat of violence left on an International Falls school district message center Tuesday night, which resulted in students being sent home Wednesday morning. The school district completed a campus sweep later Wednesday and found no exploding device, according to a news release issued late Wednesday. Parents and students with any information which could aid this investigation are encouraged to call the school district or the International Falls Police Department. Falls Police Chris Raboin said Wednesday afternoon that the investigation into the call continues. “We have a couple leads we’re still looking into,” he said. Raboin said police made a sweep of the schools in an effort to ensure that they were safe. The caller could be charged with felony terroristic threats, according to Raboin. From an earlier story: If classes are canceled, Langan said it would be announced on local radio stations as soon as possible. Langan said that a telephone message left at the district’s after-hours call-in center threatened violence at a particular time Wednesday morning, but did not direct the threat at any particular group of students or building in the district. “This is an all encompassing threat,” he said. “We spent some time this morning... and had a reasonable window to tip and turn this situation as many ways as we could and as quickly as we could. We made the prudent decision, that even though there was no evidence other than the telephone message of a threat, we took the most conservative response to evacuate the campus and get the kids home.” The telephone message was found by a secretary, who begins the day at 7 a.m. with the task of picking up the after-hours calls.
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Wow! Imagine that! And on...
Back to page topWow! Imagine that! And on a day that the high school hockey tournament is on TV....that part's not hard to figure out. Hopefully law enforcement will press to find whoever called this in and PROSECUTE. I won't hold my breath, though. Before when this happened, they put the kids in the arena instead of sending them home. Actually, I think they should all have to stand outside in the cold until someone tells who made that call. Doesn't the school have caller ID?
Caller ID doesn't always...
Back to page topCaller ID doesn't always work in situations of voicemail. And with today's technology, anyone can leave a voicemail using VOIP software, essentially masking their identity and making it seem as if they were calling from any location in the world.
But, if it was a local, they probably didn't put forth the energy and instead just *67'd the call to block their number, the phone companies will have record of the call log and be able to track it down with ease.
I for one wouldn't be surprised to see a repeat offense or two in the future.
The problem i have with all...
Back to page topThe problem i have with all of this, is that, this has happened before many times, I have a child in that school and i attended it myself. Think back, not too far back but to the RedLake school shooting, there was warning signs there as with the other school shootings, but people wrote those off as something that wasn't going to happen then guess what many innocent people died, this was a threat, like in all of the other shootings, i think nobody really took this really seriously, people saying that they did the best the could have done, and you want to use this as a learning lesson. At who's expense your son's or daughter's expense, as i stated before this isn't the first time there has been a threat in this school they should have it perfected by now on what to do. I am in the group of people that feel school shouldn't have even been in session, why were the children there if there was a threat at 7 in the morning ? That gives about an hour to get on the phone and get the police there, get school canceled, so nobody showed up you could have done all of the debateing on how serious it was after the kids were out of the school, what if next time( god forbid) it isn't a prank or even a threat, and you guys at the school are still tripping over your feet trying to figure out what too do how many of our children are going to have to die before you figure out how to keep them safe?? I am still undecided if my child will ever step foot into another building owned by this school district my kids aren't safe there and yesterday you proved it!!!! You should have learned from the other schools mistakes and took into consideration this can happen anywhere, if this was your only test to see if you were ready you failed miserably, so get into a meeting get your heads together and make a plan to keep our children safe, rather than debating your wages...and too all of you that say oh I'm just glad my children are safe, remember they were in a building that could have blown up, and they were in there for 2 more hours while they tried to figure out something they should have already known...
EXACTLY! I have talked to...
Back to page topEXACTLY! I have talked to parents that waited for their children to come home off the bus, but the bus left without them. So the parent had to drive to find them (they were at the church). As stated in my previous blogs, I feel the school acted too slowly, and like mentioned in someone else's blog, at the very least should have kept them all at the church or somewhere else if it was too late to send them right back home on the buses. The longer this goes on without a statement from the school explaining or informing us in more detail, the more people are going to doubt and criticize their actions. YES, the person(s) responsible for this has a problem, this is not something someone does just to get out of a test or to watch sport! If it is, then they still are in need of help!!! It should never be taken under conservative consideration as long as it was, indeed we should be thankful we were even threatened and not just blown up or whatever violent action this person is inclined to do. Like viperboy stated, this is not the emergency type incident for this school, and to the best of my knowledge (I know someone will correct me if I am wrong!!!!!) is the school told everyone that they had a "policy" (I am not sure if this is the correct word I am looking for, but anything else escapes me at the moment) in place and were prepared for such. I think Wednesday's incident should not have been a "learning experience"! They practice fire drills, why not practice a threat of violence drill??!!?? Viperboy, you're not alone, I am not sending my child back to school until there are some clear answers provided by the school, and I know EVERYONE involved in this threat is put somewhere where they cannot cause harm. I do not feel this is overreacting, there are lessons in life, there are lessons in school...I don't want my child's younger sibling to learn a lesson in life while my older child is learning a lesson in school! If you think I am overreacting, look back on all the school violence incidents: this was the terrorist(s) warning to us all that (they) have a problem! We should be thankful that we were warned first!!! I look forward to the truth coming out in all aspects of this. I am sure the individual teachers each did their best to help the children, I consider this more of an "administrative error" (unless I am ever told otherwise!)
I know of one boy and his...
Back to page topI know of one boy and his friends that were walking home - the school told them that if they had a way to get home - then just go. Isn't that against some type of a policy? Aren't the kids the responsibility of the school at this point? They should have NEVER been allowed to walk home if they were not living within a block or two. Not cool.
I am frightened by the fact...
Back to page topI am frightened by the fact that the school knew about this at roughly 7am and did NOTHING about it until after 10am...3 hours later!!! I don't care if people think it was real or not!!! Our children are too precious to take that chance!!! AND I think to make the children stand outside in the cold is RIDICULOUS...nothing like punishing everybody but the person(s) who made the call!!! BUT I agree the school should have called ID.
I'm sure the reason they...
Back to page topI'm sure the reason they didn't choose the arena was the fear of a possible attack against the entire student body. Students would be in a more dangerous situation as they would have all been out in the open with nowhere to hide.
The article states that the school employee starts her day at 7. She may have not listened to the messages until closer to 10.
In light of all the recent school and mall shootings, any threat, regardless of sports should be taken seriously.
"The telephone message was...
Back to page top"The telephone message was found by a secretary, who begins the day at 7 a.m. with the task of picking up the after-hours calls."
That sentence implies that her 7a.m. duty is to screen overnight calls. But she probably had to contact Tim Everson and Don Langan prior to sounding any sort of alarm. From there, they probably had to screen the call themselves, contact authorities and devise a safe evacuation plan for the student body. Any quick, unplanned decisions could have resulted in panic or a trigger point for the suspect at hand to endanger the students.
I still feel if she knew of...
Back to page topI still feel if she knew of this by 8:15 am, closing the school at that time would not constitute a decision that would panic or trigger the suspect or endanger students. I feel the students were put in more danger being allowed into the school. AGAIN, it would be nice if the full facts were put forth for us, such as the time the school was truly aware of this.
Agent 47, you are the voice...
Back to page topAgent 47, you are the voice of reason - a breath of fresh air.
Personally, I think the school handled this situation as well as could be expected. It takes time and coordination to evacuate hundreds of students and I think the school and local authorities did a decent job. Yes, in this post-9/11 society (and with all of the nonsense going on with the colleges lately) we need to be more cautious about these situations, but going into a blind panic at the first threat of danger serves no purpose. We're all worried about our kids (thank God they are all safe), but we have to remember that the school's main priority is to keep them safe. Hindsight is always 20/20, so of course there may be a few things that will be done differently the next time this happens (God forbid).
Now we can all turn this situation into a learning experience. Granted, it isn't exactly a pleasant learning experience, but it IS a good oportunity to talk with your kids - tell them what's going on, answer their questions and try to assuage their fears as much as possible.
I am really ashamed of Mama...
Back to page topI am really ashamed of Mama G maybe she does not have children at the school. I was very worried about the childrens saftey.... Shame on the school for not calling off school before something major happened I guess their to worried about there state aid. With everything that is happening in the world today. You can never be to careful.. Lucky nothing happened because with people like Mama G the community would not have pulled together. SHAME SHAME
Shame on you for assuming...
Back to page topShame on you for assuming the school didn't evacuate their students as quickly as possible. God forbid if any of the actions took place on the bus during the evacuation. Shame on the school for not checking every possible angle and figuring out safety routes and having law enforcement involved to lessen any threat. I mean, shame on them for actually thinking this through rather than being rash and starting a panic. Wouldn't that have been awesome?!
Yeah. Shame on me for...
Back to page topYeah. Shame on me for thinking this has anything to do with the hockey tournament. I'm sure it was just a coincidence...Shame on me, too, for thinking whoever called should be held accountable.
Oouhhh my... Look Mama......
Back to page topOouhhh my... Look Mama... There's drama online again.
Shame on you Mama G for ASSuming that it was a student and not an actual person ready to make a name for themselves by coping something they a few dozen times on the news.
"I wanna be sensationalized too mommy!"
Shame on you for suggesting that the children stand out in the cold the day of a hockey tournament. How dare they take sports away from deserving children.
How dare they NOT stand teenagers in the cold without proper clothing and be subjected to a cold water until one of them confesses that they did it just so they could get inside and be warm again.
From what I see here, to many of you are fapping at the lips and not using your brains before you type. God forbid that anything was to happen to anyone like in Fort Frances at Walker School. Just count your blessing before you start ranting and make yourself look like a N00W3.
The above blog entry/reply...
Back to page topThe above blog entry/reply sounds like it was written by the current 2008 Falls High "Class President"!! I could be wrong, and it's just a case of mistaken identity!
Please don't make...
Back to page topPlease don't make assumptions that are incorrect about busy high school students that do their best at our school to make it a better place for all. Whether you are implying some other "class president" or the actual one, I take offense at such a comment and hope that people will review their facts before blaming others.
I would like to take this...
Back to page topI would like to take this time to congratulate the various individuals involved in the incident at the school. Taking the most conservative actions available to them, to effect the protection of the students will always be the best approach to this kind of situation. I am fairly certain the phone call will be traced to the person or persons causing the incident and will be done so in short order. The individual (s) should, as has been already suggested, turn themselves in before it is to late. If it is a student, the parents of such student or minor, can be arrested also. Dumb guys, very dumb. Again, thanks to the city and county officials who handled the situation in the best way these kind of situations can be handled. I am sure an after action review will be conducted to improve the reactions in the future.
In the article Langan says...
Back to page topIn the article Langan says that a particular time was given for this violence to take place so therefore they had a reasonable window to tip and turn to make the right decision. Now to my way of thinking why would you take the word of the caller as to the time this would take place? Hello! Do they not have an evacuation plan to put in place and then do the tipping and turning? Why would you even hesitate for one minute? They had no clue as to what student body or which building. What more evidence did they have to have besides the phone call? The most crucial time for taking action is now, not 2-3 hrs later. How soon was law enforcement called after the message was played 60 times as Langan stated on the radio? Also was Langan in the Falls at the time, on his way to Ely or in Ely?
Everyone was safe but there...
Back to page topEveryone was safe but there were things that could have been handled differently. It is difficult when you have children in different grades and they are in different schools. I didn't know if all the children were coming home or if one school was on lock down etc... That should be announced on the radio. I was upset, like others to know that my children were allowed into a building that there was a known threat and it hadn't even been cleared yet. Langan or whoever was making the decisions at the time could have called the bus garage and told the drivers not to start their routes, that is why they have the cb's on the busses. School should have been at the very least delayed until given the all clear. My oldest son is in the high school, they were told there was a threat and to go to the gym. They should have been told to leave their stuff in their lockers and get out front to the busses. He ended up missing the bus because of going to the gym first. I'm glad everyone is safe but now I have one child that is very scared to even go back to school. He sat on my lap and cried....this fear could have been avoided to some extent by delaying school in the first place.
With a fire alarm you are...
Back to page topWith a fire alarm you are told to leave the building what is the difference between that and a bomb threat? Why would you send students into the middle of the building? How stupid is that? I'm just not getting the judgement calls that were made by whoever.
Told you so....
Back to page topTold you so.
I think the teachers and...
Back to page topI think the teachers and staff did the best they could. My son (1st grader) made it to his proper destination safe and sound. My daughter (kindergardner) ended up at First Lutheran because she missed her bus. From what I understand everyone did the best they could to make sure the children were safe. My daughter didn't understand and was a bit scared, but I would rather her be out of the building and safe and a little scared then to have something terrible happen to her.
Thank you to the teachers and staff as they did their best to deal with the situation. There is no easy way to handle this under the circumstances.
That was my point. IF the...
Back to page topThat was my point. IF the secretary knew of the message by 8:15, the children should not have even been let off the buses!
kxcd...do you realize it was not just teenagers that would be standing out in the cold as was Mama suggestion, but kids as young as 5??? Or was that dripping sarcasm, hard to tell!
Anyway, we can at least thank God the children are safe, and I sure hope the technology that is most likely available is used to end this.
Finally, I hope that there will be a clear and honest answer (s) to everyone's speculations to put some of the hear say and gossip to rest, so we can all be done with this blog that is already turning into a lot of "bad mouthing" which is never productive anyway!
We are dripping sarcasm....
Back to page topWe are dripping sarcasm. Yes, it is hard to tell on here. No, I don't want 5 year olds freezing their behinds off. But, the way this will be solved is by someone speaking up and reporting it to the correct authorities. And, yeah, it may be an adult. Never has been before, but yes, it could be. The trouble is that teenagers think this threat is the same as tipping a cow or toilet papering a house. Now, as much as I like tipping cows, I, as an adult know it is different. I dropped off three kids at the high school at 8:10 this morning (so, yes, I do have children). (The Fort Frances school that exploded was from a faulty gas line, not a bomb.) Anyways, I do apologize for my questioning the timing of this whole threat. I, too, would rather have all the kids safe, sleep in and watch hockey. I just need to know when it will be "safe" to drop off my kids at the school again. One other thing: Daily Journal~will you please tell me what the offense is for a "felony terroristic threat" if and when they catch the culprit?
You aren't the only one...
Back to page topYou aren't the only one questioning the timing of the threat and there's nothing wrong with that. Now if school officials would have said "Aw it's just some goofball that wants to watch hockey" and did nothing, then that would have been a problem. Hopefully they find that it was a very bad prank and not a serious threat. It's a bit easier dealing with an idiot with a bad sense of humor than a homicidal maniac.
In the end, the kids are...
Back to page topIn the end, the kids are safe. Isn't that what really matters? I thought I read in one of the stories that the threat was "general" but had a timeframe attached to it. Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly.
Kids are safe... the administration did their job. What more could you ask for?
How about a better job?...
Back to page topHow about a better job? Thank God the children are safe. To accept how this went down without even questioning how this was handled is ludicrous.
The fact that there was a...
Back to page topThe fact that there was a second threat makes it seem that who ever is doing this doesn't think they will get caught or it is a copy cat. We also have to consider that in our town almost every family hunts and have guns in their homes. Parents please lock them up. I know this case wasn't about a shooting but it could have been. I am not against owning a gun but be carefull.
I don't know what everyone...
Back to page topI don't know what everyone else is thinking.....but I don't care how this whole situation went down as long as my daughter is safe!!!!! I know several of you are going to debate this point and yes the school system could have handled this a little quicker, but it's not like this kind of thing happens every day in this town. I am a person who can only learn from my mistakes if I actually make them. Give the school district some slack and let THEM learn from the mistakes that THEY make. Everyone did the best they could and I am not holding them accountable for the slow response. In the future I'm sure they will do things differently. If in the future they still handle things as they did over the last couple of days then I will judge people, but until then they did nothing that I wouldn't have.
Bingo! This is what I'm...
Back to page topBingo! This is what I'm talking about. Positive words aimed towards the people who helped their children. Thanks jaymelynn7901! = )