MELROSE, MASS. (WHDH) - Melrose police officers assisted with a “controlled entrance” at a Melrose middle school on Friday in response to rumors of a violent threat, officials said.
School officials and officers worked together to make sure everyone entering Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School went in through the same entrance and had their backpacks searched to ensure no weapons were brought into the building, Melrose Police Chief Michael L. Lyle and Superintendent of Schools Cyndy S. Taymore said in a statement.
Lyle and Taymore said school administrators learned Thursday evening of a rumor involving a student who had threatened to commit a violent act on Friday.
The threat didn’t target any specific people and the “controlled entrance” was performed out of an abundance of caution, they said.
“We take threats very seriously, and we take nothing for granted,” Veterans Middle School Principal Jaime Parsons said in a statement. “We are very pleased with how things went this morning. The safety of our students is our first priority, and I am very grateful for the response and resources brought in by law enforcement to ensure an orderly start to our school day.”
The Middle School resumed its normal schedule of activities after the controlled entry.
The incident remains under investigation.
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