THURSTON — Students at Thurston High are safe after an unsubstantiated threat forced a lockdown on Oct. 25.
According to police, a mental health assistance hotline notified them about a “specific, reportedly active threat” to Thurston High, sending the school into lockdown and police and school administrators into full investigation mode.
Police have since come to believe this incident to be linked to other threats made to schools across the country.
“This information leads SPD to believe the threat was less credible,” said George Crolly, SPD Lieutenant, said in a news release.
Thurston High went into lockdown about 10:35 a.m. while SPD worked to verify whether the threat was credible, Crolly said in the release. Thurston Elementary, Thurston Middle, and Ridgeview Elementary schools were placed on “lock out,” meaning that no one was allowed to enter the building, according to a news release issued by the Springfield Public School District.
According to the police report, investigators remained on site and increased a visible presence at these schools, utilizing resources from various work units.
SPD worked with the schools to initiate a controlled release of students at the normal release time. This was an early release day for the district already, and students were to be released at 12:40 p.m. after the threat was squashed.
SPD and the FBI are investigating the threat, which was received through an online platform.
Springfield Public Schools did not return requests for comments.
The investigation is ongoing. The Chronicle will continue to update readers as more information becomes available.