Threat found at Wash High
School will be delayed Friday morning for Washington Junior and Senior High School students after a threat was discovered in a high school bathroom.
The threat was found around 1:30 p.m. by a student, who took a photo and showed high school principal Paul Kostelnik.
Superintendent Dr. Roberta DiLorenzo said administration immediately called law enforcement, who came and swept the campus.
“We did not dismiss (students) because of the nature of the threat. It was supposed to take place tomorrow morning,” she said.
All Thursday evening after-school activities were cancelled. Students in the junior and senior high schools will start at 10:30 a.m. and will not be permitted to carry bookbags, said DiLorenzo. Cell phones will be confiscated.
Police officers, including a K-9 unit, will check the building again in the morning. DiLorenzo said security will be heightened all day.
Washington Park Elementary School is not affected and will run on a normal schedule.
DiLorenzo said officials believe the threat was a student hoax.
“We believe it to be a student prank. However, we are handling it seriously,” she said. “When the offender is caught, we will prosecute to the fullest degree.”
Video surveillance of the school is being reviewed.
DiLorenzo said district families were notified of the situation. She thanked the Washington police and school resource office Todd Foreman for their quick response.
“We’re working with authorities,” she said. “It didn’t appear to be a viable threat, but we’re not taking any chances.”