MCPS officials have reported an alarming increase in school bomb threats, including 10 threats throughout the month of October. The most recent incident occurred on October 27, when the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) charged a 15-year-old with a potential ten-year sentence or fine of $10,000 for threats of mass violence to Paint Branch High School.
Additional high schools receiving bomb threats in October include Rockville, Albert Einstein, Springbrook and Montgomery Blair, which was threatened five times. Oak View Elementary and Silver Springs International Middle School also experienced threats from a 12-year-old male, who was responsible for seven bomb threats across the county. Although the threats were disruptive to school activity, MCPD detected no bombs or hazardous devices in the schools.
Junior Dani Widra said she’s never received any notification about incidents that occur on campus, and only finds out about them after arriving home from school and talking to her parents.
“MCPS should take all the necessary precautions to educate students on what to do if there is a bomb threat,” Widra said. “Students should be taught what to do during this type of stressful situation and constantly notified to keep them updated.”
On October 5, Whitman received their own potential weapon threat when a student was suspected to be in possession of an unspecified weapon on school grounds. MCPD responded and discovered that there was no active threat. Junior Olivia Woitach said she was pleased with how quickly police responded and feels that administrators prioritize students’ safety during emergency situations.
Security guard Rogelio Gonzalez believes Whitman is a secure school that is safe from violent incidents.
“Honestly, nothing really goes on here. The most there are are kids coming late or skipping, but it’s rare,” Gonzalez said. “In other schools there are fights, but that’s because it comes from home [or] different types of problems.”
The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) spent over $20,000 investigating threats in MCPS schools between Oct 13. and Oct 31. Usually, 15 officers, accompanied by police dogs, are sent to schools to determine if the threat is credible and if the school is safe.
History teacher Katherine Chery believes that MCPS officials handle these threats of violence well, given their limited power to predict them, and doesn’t feel scared while at school.
“Honestly, I feel a bit insulated from the threats since we haven’t had a lot of concerns here,” Chery said. “I think there’s a lot of communication and quick action on the part of administration, so that also makes me feel pretty secure in general.”
On October 27, MCPD Chief Marcus Jones and MCPS Chief Safety Officer Pamela Wheeler-Taylor released a joint statement, updating community members on the recent string of bomb threats and ensuring their commitment to safety in schools.
“We affirm our dedication to a safe, welcoming learning environment for all students,” Jones and Wheeler-Taylor wrote. “We will continue our collaboration to ensure high levels of security every day in our schools and community.”
