FARMINGTON – Following a potential bomb threat Monday morning, a second threat was made later Monday afternoon, again directed towards the Mt. Blue Campus. The first threat was investigated by local and state law enforcement, including Maine State Police Explosives Detection K9 teams.
RSU 9 Superintendent Christian Elkington announced the second threat in an email sent around 8 p.m. Monday night, stating that they take threats seriously and are investigating the second threat with help from the Farmington Police Department. Elkington said they believe this threat is also unfounded but due to the lateness of the hour and the additional threat, there will be no school on Tuesday, January 31, for grades 9-12. The Mt. Blue Campus will be closed, including the Foster Tech Center and Adult Ed Center, except for select staff members asked to be on campus for district work and for the investigation.
In addition there will be no after school activities on the Mt. Blue Campus tomorrow. Students and staff will make up the lost day on Friday, March 17.
There have been no threats made to other schools in RSU 9, Elkington said, and the other schools will be operate on Tuesday as scheduled.
“Thank you for your understanding of this inconvenience,” Elkington wrote. “I am sure you will agree that we must prioritize safety for everyone at Mt. Blue HS, Foster Tech Center, and Adult Ed along with all of our schools and the extra time we take tomorrow will allow us to do just that. We expect Grades 9-12 to be back in session on Wednesday.”
The district intends to release another update Tuesday afternoon.
Tuesday morning update:
Farmington Police Chief Kenneth Charles reported Tuesday morning that the second threat, of a shooting, was reported around 2 p.m. Monday. The threat was transmitted via social media. The department investigated and determined that the source of the second threat was a juvenile associated with the school. Charles reported that charges are pending and that the identity of the subject will not be released, due to the age of the juvenile.
The bomb threat is still under investigation, so further details on how that threat was made were not released. The bomb threat was found ‘not credible.’
Tuesday afternoon update:
Tuesday afternoon, Superintendent Christian Elkington sent an email with regards to the two recent threats. Elkington expressed gratitude towards the parents, students, and staff for their help during the school evacuation on Monday and for their understanding and patience as they worked through the threats towards the Mt. Blue Campus. He also recognized the Farmington Police Department, the Maine State Police, School Resource Officer Matt Brann, the Mt. Blue Campus Administrative Team, and the Directors of Transportation, School Nutrition, Curriculum, and Finance for their efforts over the last 30 hours.
“Yesterday afternoon around 2:30 pm we received information that an individual made comments on social media about shooting up Mt. Blue Campus,” Elkington wrote. “Through our investigation, we were able to identify the students who were involved. The Farmington PD met with them last night resulting in a student being charged. Upon our review of all the facts with the Farmington PD using our Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) it has been determined that the threat had no intent. It was an unfortunate student boast which we will always take seriously until determined otherwise. School consequences are being issued to these students.”
Elkington added that they have leads with regards to the bomb threat and will be proceeding with the investigation, stating that they will ‘respond firmly.’ Anyone with any information is encouraged to contact an administrator at the Mt. Blue Campus.
“Our world is already a difficult place and students, staff, and families of RSU 9 do not deserve added difficulties such as this,” Elkington continued.
Due to the seriousness of both of these issues, Elkington reiterated that he considered it best to not hold classes at Mt. Blue Campus on Tuesday. He reported that additional safeguards have been put in place to help create a safer, more secure campus.
School is scheduled throughout RSU 9 tomorrow, Wednesday, February 1.
The Maine State Police Canine Teams are expected to conduct trainings on the campus on Thursday, during the school day. They will be in the main building, using part of the campus without students and staff.
This story has been updated.
Related:
UPDATE: Potential bomb threat under investigation at Mt. Blue Campus
