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Brien McMahon Principal Scott Hurwitz sent an email Monday to reassure parents about the situation.
Last week, Hurwitz had emailed parents about graffiti found written on a bathroom wall that "included a potential threatening message and the date of December 12."
On Monday, he said more graffiti had been found, but he did not offer any details. "There is nothing to indicate that any of the graffiti constitutes a credible threat," he said in the email to parents.
Related story: Graffiti On Brien McMahon Wall Contained Threat, Sandy Hook Reference
The threat looms as the five-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting approaches on Thursday, Dec. 14. A total of 26 students and teachers were killed in the 2012 shooting.
Here is the full email sent Monday by Hurwitz:
“I’m aware that more graffiti was found today [Monday] and that many of you are deeply concerned. I want to assure you that we take all threats seriously, whether they are credible or not. We spent a good portion of the day engaged in a collaborative threat assessment process involving our school safety team, Norwalk Police Department, and District School Preparedness Coordinator.“At this point, there is nothing to indicate that any of the graffiti constitutes a credible threat; it appears to be nothing more than messages written by several students with the intent of disrupting school. "As disconcerting as it is to hear there are 'new' messages, I am truly thankful for students, staff, and families for sharing information with us. See Something, Say Something is what keeps all of us safe.“As for tomorrow [Tuesday], we developed an enhanced security plan, including additional Norwalk Police Officers on campus and in the building to ensure the safety of students and staff."Here is the full email Hurwitz sent last week:
"You may be aware of this already, but last week, a student notified us about some graffiti that was written on a bathroom stall near the cafeteria. The graffiti included a potential threatening message and the date of December 12."The Norwalk Police Department was informed and has been investigating in conjunction with BMHS staff. At this time, we have no evidence that this is anything beyond simple vandalism. We plan on speaking to students about the consequences of actions such as vandalism and threatening. We will also be reinforcing the responsibilities we all have, as members of the McMahon community, to take care of our school and each other."The safety of our students and staff is always our primary concern. With that in mind, we will be taking extra precautions to ensure the security of the school next week. I also want to convey my appreciation to the students and parents who have reported this incident to our administrators, as 'see something, say something' is an important piece of our school safety programs."Some parents said on social media that their children would be staying home on Tuesday.
"I am a mom of a junior at Brien McMahon and he and his friends are scared and will not be going to school tomorrow. I am not going to be worried at work all day if he is ok or scared. his feelings are my main concern," one parent said on Facebook.
"My daughter is a senior at McMahon and she is not going tomorrow. She did say that many of the students will not be going to school tomorrow," another parent said.
But one teacher said she would be at work on Tuesday. "I am a teacher a BMHS and I am attending school tomorrow. I truly believe that the proper precautions have been set in place."
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