Threat discovered on bathroom wall at Chelmsford High

CHELMSFORD — Police will increase their presence at Chelmsford High School this coming week after a threat was discovered written on a student bathroom wall on Friday morning.

The threat on the wall comes a day after school officials received information about a student who allegedly wanted to harm the school community. In both instances, investigations determined the threats were not credible.

In a message to the Chelmsford community on Friday, Principal Stephen Murray stated that the investigation into the threat found on the bathroom wall, which included “a threat of future harm” to the school, is ongoing. However, since there was no immediate threat to the school community, he added “students remained on their current class schedule, and it was business as usual.”

“At the end of the school day,” Murray said, “I made an announcement to our school community to inform them about the situation, that we were taking steps to investigate the incident, and how they could help by contacting an adult in the building if they have any information. I also reminded the school community about the importance of safety and security and commended the students who came forward quickly to alert our administration of this future threat. When speaking with your children, I ask that you please support our ‘See Something, Say Something’ message to help us in keeping Chelmsford High School safe for all.”

Murray reiterated that authorities “have not found evidence that lends any validity to the threat.”

“You may have noticed a police presence at the school drop-off this morning,” Murray added. “We partner closely with the Chelmsford Police Department to keep our schools safe, and you will also notice an increase in police presence at our school next week, similar to how they supported us today with that presence. We appreciate and are grateful for the partnership with the Chelmsford Police Department to keep our school community safe.”

Murray also released a note to the public on Thursday after school officials learned “about a student allegedly wanting to harm our school community.”

In the note, Murray emphasized that each threat is taken seriously. As he did following Friday’s discovery, Murray stated that the Chelmsford Police were contacted and conducted an investigation, ultimately determining there was no credible threat.

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Originally Published: September 21, 2024 at 11:46 a.m.