Derby Middle School is closed today as police continue to try to figure out who wrote a threat within the girls’ bathroom.
The threat was discovered at 11:45 a.m., causing the school to go into “lock in” mode for about three hours.
School officials decided to close the school today after a meeting last night. Closing the building will allow police the ability to conduct their investigation, officials said.
“After consultation with the Derby (Board of Education) and the Derby police, in order to allow the Derby police time to complete their investigation of today’s incident, Derby Middle School will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 18,” Conway said in a message to parents late Monday.
A “lock in” means teaching went on within individual classrooms, but the school’s hallways were off limits so police could conduct an investigation.
No arrests have been made, Derby Lt. Justin Stanko said Monday.
“The lock in was a precautionary measure to keep all students safe until police could fully investigate the issue,” Derby Public Schools Superintendent Matthew Conway said in an e‑mail Monday at the end of the school day.
“All students are safe,” he said.
The “lock in” was over at 2:40 p.m., Conway said.
Some middle school parents complained Monday about not knowing about the situation until late in the school day.
“While the police were firm in their belief that there was no credible threat, we thought it was best to take the necessary time to allow for the police to finish their investigation and talk to all those who may have been involved, as well as to create an action plan for a safe student reentry for when school reopens,” Jim Gildea, a member of the Board of Education, said in an e‑mail.
This story will be updated.
