What started as a student lashing out has turned into major legal problems for a Paola High School student after writing a bomb threat on a bathroom wall Wednesday morning.
Principal Phil Bressler, who kept the student’s name confidential, said he wished the student had talked to the office about any issues he or she had.
“Making a threat is typically a cry for help and students need to ask instead of facing the legal trouble,” Bressler said. “We care for the individual.”
The high school office received the report of a threat at 9 a.m., said Phil Bressler.
The administrators were in the board meeting at the district office when the bookkeeper informed Bressler and vice principal Jeff T. Hines of the incident.
As a precaution, juniors and seniors evacuated to the middle school, while freshman and sophomores went to Sunflower. Bressler said during the evacuations the teachers and students did what they were asked.
“Not having reviewed the policies in some time, the students and staff were tremendous in remaining calm,” Bressler said.
Bressler said the evacuation in place was already under review before the day began.
“All the schools in the county had been reviewing the plan since September, and finding what we could do better, or where the plan fell short,” Bressler said.
Written by Caleb Hecker, Editor-in-chief