MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The Columbia High School community was already on edge by the time news broke of the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., in which 17 were murdered and more than a dozen more were injured Feb. 14. Earlier that morning, Maplewood police were called to CHS in response to a threatening message spray-painted in large block letters in the parking lot.
CHS employees and students arrived at school to find a message reading: “If they keep calling me a b**** I’m getting a gun.” The message spanned the length of several cars.
As mass school shootings are a reality in this country — a fact proved once again just later that Valentine’s Day — the message was taken seriously. According to Maplewood acting Police Chief Jimmy DeVaul, a CHS parent reported the graffiti to police at 7:06 a.m.
“Early this morning, as they arrived to school, students saw and reported the presence of painted graffiti in the student parking lot on West Parker. The graffiti referenced a gun and indicated the potential for violence and/or student self-harm,” a letter from the South Orange-Maplewood School District sent to the CHS community on Feb. 14 read. “CHS staff immediately contacted the Maplewood Police Department, which began an investigation. The police department quickly determined that there was no imminent or specific threat to students or staff, and cleared the high school to operate normally.”
Police determined that there was no immediate threat and that a lockdown was not in order. Classes ran as scheduled. According to SOMSD spokeswoman Suzanne Turner, the message had been removed by noon with help from the Maplewood Department of Public Works; any parts of the message that they were unable to remove were painted over with black paint.
According to DeVaul, the Maplewood Police Department stationed officers at the school during the entire day Feb. 14. The following day, Feb. 15, Maplewood police provided extra presence at Maplewood Middle School and the elementary schools, in addition to CHS, in the morning and at dismissal times. Police conducted hourly walk-through inspections in CHS.
As the SOMSD schools were not in session on Feb. 16 or 19, DeVaul said the department provided extra attention to the CHS facility and adjacent parking lot.
“We will continue an increased presence next week at CHS,” DeVaul told the News-Record.
According to DeVaul, the first step in finding the vandal is to “identify a timeline, which is apparently during the overnight hours.” Though DeVaul did note that the department has not yet been able to narrow down the timeline much further. For more information, the department will canvass the businesses in the area for video and witnesses. According to Turner, the school does not have security cameras facing the parking lot.
“Most of the work is done in conjunction with our detectives and utilizing resources within in the school,” DeVaul said. “Knowing juveniles can’t keep a secret, we promote opportunities for youth to start talking about it. This is a very effective way to obtain information even anonymously.
“Until we have a reason to believe it not connected to CHS we have to proceed as if it is,” DeVaul continued. “It is very common in these type cases to develop information weeks or even months later.”
Anyone with information is urged to call the police department at 973-762-3400.
“The school has been cooperating with the police on the active investigation,” Turner told the News-Record. “Anyone who has information about the incident should contact the police. We also reminded families and students of the counseling services available at CHS, for any students feeling anxiety about the incident or the shooting in Florida or any other topic.”
The school district encouraged parents and guardians to keep an eye on their children for emotional distress and to contact a mental health provider if the child is showing signs of undue stress or anxiety. Parents of CHS students were also advised to call the school’s student assistance counselors: Michael Loupis at 973-762-5600, ext. 1004, for children in grades nine and 10, and Judy Cohen at the same number, ext. 1043, for children in grade 11 and 12.
“As always, student and staff safety remains a top priority in our district,” the SOMSD letter read. “We are grateful to the Maplewood Police Department for their quick response and assistance.”
The district also sent out a comprehensive email to the entire school district community including resources to help students deal with the fear and sense of loss that have following the Florida school shooting.
“Our nation and our community have been shocked at the news reports of the violent attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County, Florida, and our hearts go out to all those affected by the tragedy. We express our deepest condolences to the community of Broward County, most particularly to those families who have lost loved ones,” the Feb. 15 letter read. “We realize that students may have questions or fears if they have heard the news reports.”
The district advised elementary school parents to let their child’s homeroom teacher know if their child needs extra support during this time, as the homeroom teacher can connect the child to the appropriate support through the building’s social workers. As for secondary school parents, they should contact their child’s guidance counselors, who “are standing by, ready to provide support.”
“This tragedy highlights how important it is for us to work together and be vigilant in protecting our school community,” the letter read. “In light of this incident, we wanted to remind our community that the safety of our students and staff is always the highest priority for the South Orange-Maplewood School District.”
According to the district, it coordinates its approach to school safety with the South Orange and Maplewood police and fire departments; maintains a district crisis response team; has established security procedures for all schools; and has a crisis management team in each school.
During the past few years, the district has further strengthened its existing program with additional security equipment, training and protocols, and has added security guards at both middle schools, according to the district. This year, the district created a new position of director of safety and security to oversee all of the district’s security protocols and strengthen its partnerships with the two towns and local law enforcement.
“We ask the community to contribute to the overall safety of our students and staff by only entering the school through the main entrance, answering all questions posed by the office staff prior to admittance, reporting directly to the office — elementary schools — or security guard — secondary schools — to sign in upon admittance,” the letter continued. “Please do not hold the door for someone to enter, or enter behind someone else without first announcing yourself to the staff — it is important that each visitor individually announces him or herself before entering the building. We ask visitors to comply with all directions given by school personnel while in the building.”
The district asks anyone who witnesses a suspected breach of security or suspicious behavior, or sees someone enter the building without announcing him or herself, to immediately notify the office staff or school administration, and send an additional notification via email to tshea@somsd.k12.nj.us.
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