PHS Implements Safety Measure on Finding Note
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — School officials requested extra police presence at Pittsfield High School on Wednesday and Thursday after a note was left in the building.
The high school was in a "hold in passing" for less than an hour Wednesday morning because of a note left by the apparent intruder the previous day. A "hold in passing" means everyone was kept in their classrooms and the halls were cleared.
"To the person reading this, you have a neat school. - Someone who snuck in," the message read.
Pittsfield Police and the district's Emergency and Safety Coordinator Eric Lamoureaux to examined the situation and determined that the building was not at risk.
Wednesday, the police posted a picture on Facebook of a young man walking through the school in a Superman T-shirt that was obtained from security footage. The department then updated the post to inform the public that the person had been identified and indicated that it is not a criminal investigation at this time.
It is confirmed that the individual is a minor.
Lamoureaux said it is normal protocol after any incident to meet with the administrative team, and police or Fire Department if necessary, to review and revise emergency and safety plans.
"Yesterday and today until we were provided with more information, we did request extra police presence around the building when available and especially at arrival and dismissal times," he wrote in response to questions. "Outside of that I can't go into details around our in-house security measures."
He added that the school teams review emergency and safetly plans each summer and that he goes over plans with police and fire "frequently" throughout the year.
A Wednesday communication from Principal Maggie Harrington-Esko to the school community reads:
"This morning, at approximately 7:45 AM, a staff member found a note inside the building saying "To the person reading this, you have a neat school. - Someone who snuck in." At this time, we placed the school in a hold in passing. Using our camera system, we were able to find the person who left the note in our cafeteria yesterday, on Tuesday, June 13 at 3:15 pm.
"We then used the cameras to determine when and where the person entered the building and when and where they exited the building. PHS administration, in collaboration with the Pittsfield Police Department and the District Emergency and Safety Coordinator, reviewed the note left, the cameras, and the current state of the building and determined that the building was not at risk and no threat had been made. The hold in passing was lifted around 8:20 AM. We continued to investigate throughout the day seeking out information from Berkshire County Principals, Pittsfield Police Departments."
The police asked that anyone who knew the person contact the department at 413-448-9700 or send a private message to its Facebook page.
Tags: PHS, school safety,
