Update Nov. 13, 5:30 p.m.: Seymour Police Lt. Paul Satkowski said Seymour High School has been searched by state and local police and nothing posing a danger to students was found.
Satkowski said the building has been turned over to school officials and classes should resume Thursday at normal time.
He said police were called about noon Wednesday after school officials discovered “writing on a bathroom stall inside the school building denoting a specific threat to the school environment at a specific time.”
He said he didn’t have further details regarding the note.
The building was evacuated as police, fire and EMS responded, and state police were called to respond with bomb technicians and bomb-sniffing dogs, Satkowski said.
Students were dismissed early from the school about 12:30 p.m.
State and local police searched the school and found nothing posing a danger to students, Satkowski said.
“No devices were found,” Satkowski said. “School should resume tomorrow at normal time.”
He asked that anyone with information about the threat to call the police department’s detectives at 203 – 881-7638. Information provided can be kept confidential, he said.
While it’s still early in the investigation, Satkowski said that “chances are it was done by a student in the building.”
Original Story from 12:30 p.m. Wednesday follows below.
The discovery of a threatening note at Seymour High School Wednesday (Nov. 13) led officials to call in the state police bomb squad and dismiss students from the school early.
First Selectman Kurt Miller said about 12:30 p.m. that a note was found at the school Wednesday “implying” some sort of threat.
“Right now it’s just a note that we found,” Miller said. “We haven’t confirmed anything. We’ve instituted some safety protocols to protect the kids.”
Miller said he couldn’t be more specific about the note, but said that officials called the state police bomb squad to the scene “to secure the building.”
As of about 12:30 p.m. nothing posing a danger to students had been found at the school, he said.
Seymour police, fire, and EMS were on scene as well as a precaution, Miller said. “All the kids are safe.”
There have been no injuries to any students or staff, and about 12:30 p.m. students were in the process of being dismissed “in an orderly fashion,” Miller said.
The First Selectman posted a brief update on the situation to his Facebook page Wednesday.
“A bomb threat was found at Seymour High School,” the message read. “Students and staff were immediately evacuated to a safe location and students will be dismissed early. Students and staff are in no danger and we will continue to post information as it is made available. Seymour’s full emergency management team is on site.”
Schools Superintendent Christine Syriac posted a message to the school district’s website Wednesday afternoon and said more information would be sent to parents Wednesday evening.
“There was a bomb threat today at Seymour High School. As a precautionary measure students and staff were evacuated from SHS and a decision was made to dismiss students early from Seymour High School rather than have them wait in the cold while emergency services investigates the situation,” Syriac wrote. “This decision was made jointly by school administration and Seymour emergency services, including the Seymour Police Department. A follow up message will be forthcoming this evening to provide updated information.”
“Students may not have had time to access their personal belongings and were not permitted back into the building to get such materials,” Syriac’s message went on. “Administration will share how this will be addressed in a message sent later today. Thank you for your cooperation.”
