Do You Feel Safe At School?
It's been nearly two weeks since the Virginia Tech shootings, but it's left a seemingly indelible mark on the nation -- especially on high schools. Law enforcement agencies from New York to California have received copycat threats to schools, the FBI reports.
On April 18, North Brunswick Township High School (N.J.)'s nearly 1,800 students were searched during a three-and-a-half hour lockdown after a student left a message threatening to "shoot up the school" on the principal's voicemail. Authorities searched lockers with bomb-sniffing dogs, checked students and staff with metal-detecting wands, and manually inspected each students' backpack, but no inappropriate items were found and the call was deemed a hoax. The student who made the false threat was arrested by 1 a.m. the following day.
While FBI spokesman Richard Kolko tells CNN that none of the threats have been deemed credible, authorities are remaining vigilant. "Although it is a drain on resources, every threat is taken seriously," he says. "Any suspicious activity should be reported to the authorities." He also says the "wall-to-wall media coverage" of the Virginia Tech massacre could inspire people seeking attention to make copycat threats.
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