Crook County HS threat: More police, fewer students

(Update: Comments from principal, school resource officer)

Crook County High School was operating normally on Monday, with added police presence due to a threat of violence found in graffiti in a student bathroom last week. Meanwhile, school officials disputed rumors of a student being charged or expelled in the matter.

“School is going well,” Principal Michelle Jonas told NewsChannel 21 at midmorning.

Jonas said school attendance was lower than normal, as many parents kept their students home because of the threat.

She said staff was working to reassure parents and students that it’s safe to come to school.

Some students notified school officials of a threat written in graffiti on the walls inside the boys restroom.

Jonas said the threat didn’t target anyone and was directed toward the school.

The high school posted a statement on Facebook and on the district website after several rumors began to appear on social media.

“It’s a good lesson for us to just over-communicate with our parents and putting things out on our Facebook page,” Jonas said. “We’ve been emailing parents to just get the correct message out there, and because with this false information, it creates a sense of hysteria of what’s going on, what’s not going on. If we can have one person to provide the true message. I think that’s important.”

Prineville Police School Resource Officer Jeff Coffman said he is making sure students and staff at schools in the city feel safe.

“Safety is always a No.1 priority. Every day, that’s my No.1 job is the safety of the school and the students,” Coffman said.

As part of their investigation, police are looking at surveillance video near the restrooms and interviewing students. Coffman said they have identified a “person of interest” in the case but have more interviews to conduct.

“We take all threats to school safety very seriously,” Coffman said. “If we find out who did this, they will be arrested. They will be handcuffed. They will be taken to juvenile department and dealt with accordingly and we will not tolerate any threats of this nature that disrupts the peace and quiet of this school and the learning environment for these kids.”

Here’s a note sent to parents and guardians and posted to the school district’s Website Monday morning:

“We want to thank the Prineville Police Department for providing an additional security presence at CCHS today in response to the vandalism posted in the school bathroom last week. We take all threats very seriously and police and school officials are still investigating the incident.

“Unfortunately, individuals not associated with the school have posted a number of false reports on various social media outlets. Any and all updates regarding this incident will be posted on the CCHS & CCSD websites and emailed to all parents and guardians. Please don’t hesitate to contact CCHS with any questions you may have.

Sincerely,
Crook County High School Administration”

Crook County High School officials had advised parents Thursday that a vandalism message found in a bathroom threatened violence at the school on Monday. They said they didn’t consider it a credible threat, but promised full prosecution, if the culprit is found, and to have increased police presence that day.

Here’s the message, in full, sent to parents and guardians last Thursday and posted on the Crook County School District website:

“Vandalism discovered today in one of the student bathrooms threatened potential violence against the school on April 9 th . While we do not consider this a credible threat, law enforcement has been notified and is currently investigating.

“School safety is one of our top priorities and we intend to prosecute the individual responsible for this statement to the fullest extent of the law. Out of an abundance of caution, we will have an increased law enforcement presence at all schools on April 9 th .

“It is unfortunate that the poor decisions of a single student can distract from the positive learning environment at Crook County High School and we are grateful for our student body for promptly reporting this information to administration.

“Sincerely,
Crook County High School Administration”