Guilford school officials said a threat against people of Jewish descent at Guilford High School appears to be unfounded.
In a statement to parents and guardians, Superintendent Paul Freeman said the high school received an anonymous report that a student had brought a gas mask to school on Thursday and made threatening statements about harming those of Jewish descent in the community.
Freeman noted that there was no detailed information and no specific threat detailed in the report.
Guilford Police were notified and on Friday, the school resource officer and administrators started looking over video footage and reviewing the report. By the end of the day Friday, no more specific complaints or reports were uncovered, according to the school district.
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On Saturday, school officials were told that the alleged threatening statements were witnessed by students and that they knew the person involved. Freeman said a picture of the person wearing a gas mask was provided to them.
Police were given the new information and they contacted everyone involved. The school district said they're confident that all students are safe and that no specific threat exists.
"When students or their parents are privy to information they believe is related to such dangerous or intolerant language or actions, it is incumbent upon those individuals to share that information with our school administrators or the police," the superintendent said in the statement.
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"When specific information is known, those specifics need to be shared; if they are not, it slows and potentially limits the ability of Guilford Public Schools and the Guilford Police to respond to such troubling events," he continued.
School officials and police said they'll investigate any threatening language or threats, and students who engage in such language could face disciplinary action.
"Hateful and threatening language is unacceptable in our school community and it places all of us at risk of harm, physically and emotionally. No one in our schools should be faced with intimidating or threatening statements of any kind," Freeman said.
Freeman said incidents like this are "disturbing on many levels" and it should be a reminder that there's more that needs to be done.
He's asking that parents talk to their children about the incident before school tomorrow "to remind them that we can all contribute to making our schools better and safer places when it comes to confronting and ending behavior and language like this in Guilford."
