Threats made against Copiague Middle School, Copiague High School, officials say

Two unconnected, “non-credible” threats directed at two Copiague schools Monday morning led to the arrest of a 13-year-old middle school student for the first, while police probed a bomb threat made to the high school, the only incident prompting a school evacuation, police and school officials said.

The middle-schooler, a boy, was charged with making a threat of mass harm, specifically, threatening to shoot students and teachers, officials said.

“A 13-year-old male posted in a social media group chat that if school was in session on October 24, he would shoot teachers and students at Copiague Middle School,” Suffolk County police said in a statement. Police said the post was shared by multiple students and a parent notified school officials, who called police.

At Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School the police were still probing a bomb threat, school officials said.

“The Suffolk County Police Department has concluded their search of the building and has cleared the building,” Joseph Agosta, the high school principal, said in a statement. “There is an ongoing police investigation,” he added.

Describing the evacuation as “a smooth dismissal from campus,” the principal added, “Classes will resume as normal tomorrow,” Tuesday.

No additional details were released about the second threat. Suffolk police said Monday evening no arrest had been made in connection with that threat.

Calling “this morning’s events” at both schools “unsettling,” Superintendent Kathleen Bannon in a statement to parents and guardians said: “I want to reassure our community that these were isolated incidents, which have both been deemed as non-credible threats by the Suffolk County Police Department.”

“We have been working alongside SCPD and the student responsible for the Middle School threat has been identified and dealt with in accordance with our disciplinary procedures and will be held responsible to the fullest extent of the law,” she said.

The police are continuing to probe the threat to the high school, she said.

Only the Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School was evacuated because 911 was called at approximately 7:30 a.m., shortly before the start of the school day. Parents were advised high schoolers would be sent home earlier, on buses from the middle school.

In a statement, the police added: “The building was searched and deemed safe for occupants to return.”

In contrast, Copiague Middle School was not evacuated — and its operations continued — because that threat was received at around 5:35 a.m., so the building could be cleared by the police before students arrived.  — With John Asbury