Rogers Police Investigating School Threats

Friday, April 4, 2014

ROGERS -- Threats found Thursday in girls bathrooms at two city schools prompted police investigations.

A threat was found written in a stall of a girls bathroom at Heritage High School, 1114 S. Fifth St., about 10:40 a.m.

At A Glance

Possible Penalties

State law requires a minimum 10-day suspension for assaulting or threatening to assault school employees or issuing a death threat to a student or school employee. Disruptive behavior and terroristic threatening are both considered a major offense under Rogers School Board policy and carry a punishment ranging from a one-day suspension to expulsion.

• Disruptive behavior is defined as “Any interference with the proper conduct of a school, a school activity, or an individual class; bomb threats; false fire alarms; attempts to prohibit or discourage attendance by others at school or a school activity; attempts to encourage others to violate school rules or policies; and refusal to identify others engaged in unlawful or disruptive acts or to otherwise fail to divulge information regarding such acts.”

• Terroristic Threatening is defined as “Threatening to cause death, serious injury or substantial property damage with the intent to scare or intensely frighten another person.

Source: Rogers Student Discipline Policy

Police were called to a second threat found on a bathroom wall at Elmwood Middle School, 1610 S. 13th St., at 12:30 p.m.

Both threats were vague, said Keith Foster, police spokesman. He didn't believe them to be related.

The Elmwood threat may not be new, Foster said. It was written in black on a black wall and was hard to see.

The Heritage threat was found shortly after an assembly. A student found the threat, according to a notification sent to parents from Principal Karen Steen just before 1 p.m.

"Student safety is always our top priority," Steen said in the message.

Foster described the threats as nonspecific, saying they didn't mention harm to any particular person by any particular method.

Detectives and a police officer assigned to the high school reviewed security footage and interviewed students, Foster said. More officers were sent to Elmwood after the threat there was discovered.

Parents were notified about the threats by phone, said Ashley Kelley Siwiec, district spokeswoman.

Students weren't dismissed because the threats were vague and didn't indicate imminent danger, Siwiec said. Neither referenced a school shooting or bombs, Siwiec said. Police were called to investigate once the threats were reported.

Penalties for threats at school can range from a one-day suspension to expulsion, according to district policy, Siwiec said.

NW News on 04/04/2014