THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 1, 1995 TAG: 9511300146
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
Following is a letter from the principal of Independence Middle School.
The city of Virginia Beach is playing Russian roulette with our children. They are allowing principals to make life-and-death deci-sions.
Bomb threats are being phoned in and a principal ``assumes'' if it is real or a hoax. How lucky we are that this principal gambled and we won.
If one in a hundred bomb threats is real, what part of our city will be devastated? Will Virginia Beach make national news like Oklahoma City?
All that principal had to do was reach out, push a button for a fire drill and the children would have been safe while the building was being cleared. No mention of a bomb needed to be made, no mention or recognition given to the person making the call. These people want publicity. Don't give them any.
But keep our children safe - just in case.
Dolores R. White
Virginia Beach
Dear Parents:
This morning about 10:30 a.m., we received a phone call from an unknown caller, who informed us there was a bomb in the school. We immediately phoned the police, who arrived within five minutes and began a thorough search of the buildings.
During the search, students remained in their classes. As soon as the cafeteria was cleared, we began to serve lunch as usual, but a few minutes late for seventh-graders. Other grades went to lunch on time.
At approximately 11:30 a.m., the police declared that their search found no evidence of any explosive device in the buildings. Things were back on our normal schedule by 11:45 a.m. (fifth period).
The safety of your children is our first priority. We will always take every precaution necessary to ensure their safety. We regret this unfortunate disruption in the school day today.
We are assuming this incident was the result of ``copycat'' behavior following a similar incident Tuesday at Bayside High School, in which the device turned out to be a hand-made hoax.
This morning's Virginian-Pilot reported that the young man who initiated the hoax at Bayside High School has been suspended and will probably be expelled from school. Making bomb threats can also result in felony charges, which are very serious.
Please discuss with your children the extreme seriousness of such behavior. NO students should have to face the consequences of initiating such threats; but, when they engage in such behavior, they face disciplinary measures at the school and from the police.
I have taken the step of sending this letter home with all students so that parents receive accurate information. If you have further questions, please call the school at 460-7500.
Sincerely,
Edith H. Eidson, Principal
Independence Middle School
Nov. 16, 1995 by CNB