Claremore Daily Progress

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November 24, 2009

BREAKING NEWS — Foyil students evacuated for threat

Sixth bomb threat in 2009

By Krystal J. Carman

November 24, 2009 — FOYIL — Only three months into the 2009-2010 school year and Foyil Schools has already experienced two bomb threats.

Tuesday’s bomb threat makes six bomb threats or messages found inside the school in 2009, with three threats happening in February and one in April. The first bomb threat for this school year happened two weeks ago and the student confessed and has been suspended for the remainder of the year, according to school officials.

The threat was found again in a boys bathroom in the high school and it indicated noon as the time of the alleged bomb explosion. Students were taken to an undisclosed location and were kept there until approximately 12:20 p.m. after an all clear was given by emergency personnel.

Superintendent Pat Gougler has taken steps to prevent this unnecessary interruption from happening over and over again, and is currently awaiting word on a grant that would purchase security cameras.

“We’re going to have to do something. We can’t keep doing this,” Gougler said. “We have really tightened up on not having the kids unsupervised. Fortunately all of these have been hoaxes, but the awareness level is high.”

In September, Gougler made application for a $25,000 Rural Economic Plan Fund grant from Grand Gateway to purchase security cameras. Gougler said that would give the school 22 cameras to place in hallways and the cafeteria and other areas in the 18 building campus. But word on whether the school will actually receive the grant won’t be heard until December, according to Grand Gateway officials.

The school would purchase the security cameras but the funding “just isn’t there,” Gougler said in September.

After finding Tuesday’s threat, Gougler said students were evacuated from the campus in seven minutes. Rogers County Sheriff’s deputies and investigators, Foyil firefighters and Rogers County Emergency Management Director Bob Anderson conducted an entire sweep of all the school’s buildings and waited for the noon hour to arrive before allowing school to resume.

Tuesday’s search was more thorough, Anderson said.

“We searched lockers and everything,” he said. “This time we were more thorough because this is no joke.”

An assembly was held following the students’ return where Gougler once again made it clear that these threats will continue to be taken seriously and that it is no laughing matter.

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