West Hartford’s superintendent said threats are taken seriously.

By Ronni Newton

A threatening social media post that appeared to be from a student, directed toward West Hartford’s Conard High School, was taken seriously and investigated by both West Hartford Public Schools district officials and the police, but was ultimately found not to be from a student, and determined to be not credible.

Superintendent Paul Vicinus told We-Ha.com that a message was received in the early morning hours – at approximately 2 a.m. – on Sunday, Sept. 15, “and was immediately actioned.”

The information was reported through the district’s Anonymous Alert system, and notification simultaneously was sent to the district’s security, the administration, and West Hartford Police.

After an investigation, police determined that the threat had not been made by a Conard student. “The individual was identified, WHPD made contact with the individual, and the issue was safely resolved, and deemed a non-credible threat,” Conard Principal Jocelyn Tamborello-Noble wrote in an email to staff late Sunday morning, and Assistant Superintendent for Administration Andy Morrow wrote in an email to the Conard community on Sunday afternoon.

Details about the nature of the threat, or any action taken involving the individual who made the treat, were not provided.

The school did not need to be put into lockdown since the threat, and investigation, occurred and was contained outside of school hours, Vicinus said. Additional police presence was provided at Conard, however, “out of an abundance of caution and to enhance confidence in our safety posture,” Vicinus said.

Morrow, in his emailed letter to Conard families, said that “with the recent events in Georgia and the heightened concerns over online behavior and mental health, I want to assure you that we take all threats seriously, investigate, and involve the West Hartford Police Department whenever there is a safety concern.”

Hoax threats continue to be circulating on social media, Vicinus said. CT Insider reported that as of Thursday afternoon there have been at least 25 threats made to Connecticut schools since early September, and in some cases arrests have been made. Other towns where threats have been made include Ansonia, Bridgeport, Middletown, Stamford, and Westport, according to CT Insider.

“We continue to partner with WHPD and communicate transparently with the community as we work to ensure the safety of our students.,” Vicinus said. “We are very pleased by the number of students who came forward to report a concern either personally or through our Anonymous Alerts system.”

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