Schools Have Receive Dozens Of Threats Around The State Since Start Of School Year
Teachers in Bridgeport were left in the dark for several hours Wednesday about an online threat made against the school district, Connecticut Education Association President Kate Dias said Thursday.
Bridgeport police arrested a student today in connection to the threat, which was posted on social media, but no other information about the arrest was released.
In a telephone interview, Dias said that she was “shocked” at the lack of communication between the school district and its teachers, adding that many of her members went to sleep Wednesday aware of neither the threat nor the plans for a two-hour delay and police presence the following day at schools throughout the district.
She said Bridgeport teachers did not receive any official communication from Superintendent of Schools Carmela Levy-David, Ph.D, about the threat until nearly eight hours after school principals and students’ families were alerted – at nearly 9:30 p.m.
Dias also said that the district had not made much of an effort to apologize for failing to keep teachers in the loop.
School districts around the state reportedly have received at least 24 threats since students returned to classes in late August. Schools were closed in AnsoniaThursday because of threats to student safety and an arrest was made in connection with that threat.
Dias called the lapse in communication an “epic failure” in a statement, and said later that the one thing schools know they should do as part of their protocol is to communicate clearly and efficiently.
“It’s not as if we have not had this experience before,” she said, adding later, “A district of this magnitude should have a plan in place. That communication is essential for getting the adequate response.”
A spokesperson for the school district reportedly said Thursday said that “additional threats” had been made online, and students were let out of school early Thursday. Friday classes across the district, the state’s largest, were canceled.
Dias said teachers need to be part of those communications.
“We cannot help if we are not informed. We are the first line of defense. We are the people with the children,” she said.
Dias said there is usually a bump in threats after other shootings and violent attacks on schools, like the one that took place in Georgia a few weeks ago.
Levy-David was not immediately available for comment.