Nassau police investigating threat made to Great Neck South High School; school day 'proceeding normally'

Police are investigating an online threat made against Great Neck South High School over the weekend and have increased patrols at the school ahead of spring break, officials said Monday.

School was "proceeding as normal," Colleen Bowler Dlugolecki, spokeswoman for Great Neck schools, wrote in an email Monday afternoon.

Nassau County Police Homeland Security and Lake Success police were at the school Monday morning to monitor and will continue to intensify patrols, said Det. Lt. Richard LeBrun, spokesman for Nassau police, in an email Monday.

LeBrun did not specify the nature of the threat or whether police deemed it credible.

School officials said they were notified of the threat, which originated in a chat group Saturday night. The district’s security team searched the high school Sunday and had it locked until Monday morning when school reopened.

The threat was reported by a student who was in the chat group, Teresa Prendergast, Superintendent of Great Neck schools, wrote in an email to parents Sunday.

“Nassau County police will begin deploying uniformed officers or supervisors each day across the county in their patrol vehicles to act as a deterrent to criminals who may target high-profile locations such as schools and houses of worship,” she wrote.

Spring recess begins Wednesday in the Great Neck district and schools reopen April 17.

By Dandan Zou

dandan.zou@newsday.com@DandanZou

Dandan Zou covers education for Newsday. Previously, she worked for a community newspaper in Maryland and a personal finance magazine in Washington, D.C.