A threat against John Stark Regional High School involving a firearm had police taking extra precautions Tuesday.
According to Weare police’s Facebook page, town officers and the New Hampshire State Police were investigating a threat made against the school out of “an abundance of caution.” There was a visible police presence at the school throughout the day, according to the post.
According to Weare police Lt. Frank Hebert, the department received information about a threat made Monday on social media about the school. Hebert declined to name the social media site and said the identity of the person who made the threat is unknown.
Hebert said two Weare police officers and a state trooper were positioned at the school to decrease response times should something occur. Students had a regular school day, he said, meaning no lockdown drills took place. He said parents were notified of the incident through an automated phone call, despite parents on the Weare police page saying they had not been informed.
A later post on Weare police’s Facebook page said police would continue to have a presence at the school during evening activities. School will proceed normally today unless other information is given, the post said.
At least three New Hampshire schools took precautions after receiving a threat by phone two weeks ago. Bow Elementary, Exeter High School and the Primrose School in Bedford all received a phone call about 11 a.m. that day. The Bow call encouraged the school to evacuate, unlike the Exeter and Primrose School incidents, which both referenced a device in the building.
Exeter and Bow had students remain in school while police determined whether the threat was credible, while Primrose School evacuated to a nearby facility. Police ultimately determined no students were in danger within an hour of receiving the calls.
(Caitlin Andrews can be reached at 369-3309, candrews@cmonitor.com or on Twitter at @ActualCAndrews.)