Durham parents concerned by Connecticut school threats

Regional School District 13 said police have charged two students for making threats against the Strong Middle School community in Durham over the weekend and Monday.

In a statement to families, superintendent Doug Schuch said one threat was made by a student over the weekend who did not attend school Monday or Tuesday.

He said the student is facing criminal charges and disciplinary action.

Schuch said that student was interacting with other students off campus Monday afternoon when one of the other students referenced a firearm. Schuch said a second student is facing criminal charges and will also face school disciplinary action.

Some parents opted to keep their children home from school earlier in the week, and the district said those will be excused absences.

"Every day I send my kid off to school, I have anxiety over it,” one Strong Middle School parent said.

“Nerve wracking, very shocking,” said Emma Gallo, another parent.

The parents say the past few days have been tumultuous.

"I’m not sure if this has ever happened in the community before, to my knowledge it hasn't, so I don’t know if everyone knows how to handle it,” Gallo said.

"Something needs to be done not only in this district but statewide,” the other parent said.

There have been dozens of non-credible threats against Connecticut schools since the beginning of school year. Just some schools that have navigated this problem include Glastonbury, North Haven, Bloomfield, New Haven, Wethersfield, Norwalk and Bristol.

Talking to your children about school threats is a hard conversation more and more parents are having this year.

"Schools have gotten good, and kids have gotten good at the culture of see something, say something. So I do think there's more cultural awareness, more cultural readiness,” child psychiatrist Dr. Yann Poncin, Yale School of Medicine.

He said oftentimes, it's up to the school to set the tone for sharing information about the threat, but community concerns can end up amplified by social media.

Poncin recommends keeping an open line of communication with your kids in case they hear of something, and helping your kids realize that life can be scary -- but that they can trust you and other adults to manage situations like this.

“It depends really on what level of anxiety you’re coming at it from,” Poncin said.

He also adds navigating this conversation and the feelings around it can be a delicate balance for parents, having to feel comfortable with the information from the school while also wanting to prioritize their child's safety and their concerns, too.

In a statement to NBC Connecticut about school threats in the in general, Connecticut State Police said they take every threat seriously and investigate each one based on the specific circumstances of the threat.