- An expert on school safety issues notes the challenges in responding to school threats, balancing safety and the possibility of false threats.
- High schools in Ogden and American Fork faced bomb threats this week. No explosives were found at either school.
- The National Association of School Resource Officers expert emphasizes pre-planning for threats and the role of school resource officers.
OGDEN — Following bomb threats this week targeting two Utah high schools, an expert from a professional group representing school resource officers nationwide notes the difficult balance in responding to such incidents.
Depending on how you respond and the people behind the threats, are you giving in to hoaxers, perhaps unknowingly encouraging additional false threats? But what if the threat is real?
Those responding to school threats walk "a very, very thin tightrope," said Pamela Revels, president of the National Association of School Resource Officers, a professional group, and head of the school resource division in the Lee County Sheriff's Office in Alabama.
It's an issue that surged to the fore this week in Utah, with a bomb threat on Thursday that led to the evacuation of Ben Lomond High School in Ogden and another on Friday that led to the evacuation of American Fork High School in American Fork. Authorities ultimately found no explosives at the Ogden school, and American Fork officials said they had found nothing suspicious as of early Friday afternoon. Classes at each school were cut early due to the incidents, which remain under investigation.
Revels didn't address the particulars of the Ogden and American Fork incidents. Officials in each locale haven't released all the details of what transpired at each school. Speaking in broad terms, though, she stressed the importance of schools having a school resource officer who can help with the immediate response when a threat is received and having a plan already in place to contend with such situations.
In the case of the Ben Lomond High School incident, a school resource officer was on the scene when the threatening call targeting the school came in to Weber County dispatchers and immediately started coordinating a response, according to Ogden police.
"You're going through all these things when that moment happens, and the pre-planning and working in collaboration and that (school resource officer) center point driving the conversation so that they are ready is really the key component," Revels said.
She hinted at the potential dangers of evacuating students in a threatening situation — if a ne'er-do-well is outside laying in wait, for instance — and the import of quickly assessing the school grounds when a threat comes in to determine how best to protect students.
Some experts "would tell you to somewhat hold and assess, and then if you're going to make that move, make sure that you're safe to do so, unless it's one of those situations where we got this information ... we've got to move, right, there's no other option," she said. If students are evacuated, she went on, "there are factors that you must consider. If you stay in the building, there's factors that you must consider."
On the other hand, she said, if a threat comes in that's ultimately deemed to be a hoax and "you give in to this, what would happen the next time? Is this going to be a continuous thing of a disruption of the school day?"
Further adding to the mix of considerations — the concerns and worries of parents and the broader public. "They're going to be like, 'Hey, it's a threat, come on home. We all know we don't want to take the chance,'" she said.
The response in American Fork stemmed from a "sticky note that had been found in a classroom referencing a 'bomb,'" police said in a social media post. "There is currently no indication of any threat, and nothing suspicious has been found. We do not believe there is any credibility behind the note."
Ultimately no explosives were found at Ben Lomond High School, Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolski said via social media Thursday. He defended the response to the threat, though, which entailed evacuating the school and searching the facility and its grounds.
"Our children are our most treasured gift, and we won't put their safety at risk," Nadolski said. "Let this experience also serve as a reminder: Threats against our schools, our children or our community will be met with a response that is second to none. We stand ready, equipped and resolute to protect Ogden, and we will not hesitate to act decisively when called upon."
