Most Fayetteville High School students headed back to class Tuesday (Jan. 21) after a bomb threat was found on a girl’s bathroom wall Monday (Jan. 20). Officials said 40 out of 1,900 students stayed home Tuesday due to the bomb scare.
Along with the school's resource officers, officials said three additional police officers were on campus Tuesday.
"Having a normal day of school with increased security was the right thing to do, particularly given that it was a non-specific threat," said Alan Wilbourn, spokesman for the Fayetteville School District.
Rita Dunkelberger let her son go to school on Tuesday.
"I knew that they would never open the doors if there was a bomb found or if there was anything that would cause harm to our children," said Dunkelberger.
Karen Wood said the school took the right safety precautions.
"I felt like they really searched and were ready for whatever went on at school," she said.
Wilbourn said administrators and authorities have not identified the person responsible for writing a bomb threat on the girl's restroom wall.
The graffiti read, “I'm going to bomb the school tomorrow.” Wilbourn said it is unclear how long the message had been on the wall. It was found 1:30 p.m. Monday by a student. The student then alerted administrators.
"One of the problems we are having is that we don't know that the graffiti was necessarily written there on Monday," he said. "It was in a large bathroom that has 10 stalls. It could have been written last Thursday."
Wilbourn said surveillance video from the hallway is still being reviewed to see who may be involved. He also said school officials are talking to students.
"Almost always in these situations, a student begins to talk or brag," he said. "It gets out and gradually it filters around and we find out who did it."
Wilbourn said he is confident administrators will find out who is responsible for the bomb threat.
"We have about an 80 percent batting average," he said. "The odds are in our favor."
Wilbourn said no additional security will be on campus later this week. He said school resource officers can call for additional help any time they need it.
If the student is caught, he or she will be expelled and could face criminal charges. Communicating a false alarm is considered a Class A misdemeanor, which means the person could get up to a year in jail.
