Both searches took a couple hours to complete. Staff and students who were not picked up by parents returned inside the school at 11:45 a.m. in Middletown, and at noon at Fairfield East.
“The safety of the children is the number one priority,” said Fairfield Twp. police Sgt. Doug Lanier.
Middletown Police Chief Rodney Muterspaw called these types of threats “a nightmare” for students, staff and parents.
Several parents in Middletown agreed with the chief, saying they were scared after being alerted that a bomb threat was called into the school.
“That’s no easy text or phone call to get,” said Amber Tuttle, who picked up her daughter, Romona, a MHS sophomore. “It’s too scary to keep my kid here or anywhere.”
Starting next week, Tuttle said, her daughter will be home-schooled.
Dewanda Commodore said she received a phone call from her son, Jaevan Wright. She immediately left work and drove to the high school to pick him up.
“I do believe this is ridiculous,” Commodore said. “Very scary as a parent. This could be real serious.”
Fairfield Twp. fire Chief Tim Thomas said the fire and police departments made sure Fairfield East was safe by searching the school “multiple times.”
“I think it’s unfortunate that the technology is out there to make it very difficult to catch who does this,” Thomas said.
Two rapid notifications were sent to Fairfield East parents updating them on the incident and the school’s protocols.
“Multiple districts across Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky also received threats, of which none were credible. All are under investigation,” according to the text of the second of two Fairfield notifications. “Your child’s safety and well-being is our top priority. It is unfortunate that we live in a time where such threats exist. Our response to this is to be proactive and prepared so that our students are learning in an environment that is safe and secure.”
About the Author
