Schools
Higher Number Of Students Absent At Dumont HS Day After Threat
Dumont Superintendent Emanuele Triggiano and high school principal James Wichmann met with students Tuesday and fielded a lot of questions.
BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — More students than usual were absent from Dumont High School Tuesday, the day after a 15-year-old student reportedly made a threat on social media to "shoot up" the school.
Superintendent Emanuele Triggiano and school principal James Wichmann met with ninth- and 10th-graders and then 11th- and 12th-graders Tuesday. They fielded a lot of questions from students.
"We reviewed the situation with them and commended them on how they conducted themselves," Triggiano said.
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The school was in lockdown for three hours while authorities investigated the legitimacy of the threat. A 15-year-old student was removed from the school in handcuffs and taken into custody, NBC4 reported Monday.
The 15-year-old student made the threat on social media, which another student saw, according to published reports. Dumont Police Chief Michael Conner said that a gun was found at the student's home, NBC4 reported.
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"If students hear something or see something, they need to say something," Triggiano said.
Students hid under desks while the lockdown was in place.
A freshman inside the school texted a family member during the lockdown, "I love you and everyone."
"Tell them all that I love them," the student said, according to NBC4, who posted the text messages on Twitter.
Another supposed student posted on Twitter that the lockdown was "the scariest thing in my life."
Extra police officers were on patrol inside and outside of the school as precaution Tuesday. Triggiano discussed ongoing, district-wide emergency procedures Tuesday with Dumont Police Chief Michael Conner and two other senior officers. Triggiano said such meetings occur regularly.
Triggiano said he remembers when students took similar steps to protect themselves during air raid drills decades ago.
"We hope it's not normal," he said.
Related: Dumont High School Student In Custody Following Lockdown
Related: Police Reportedly Patrolling Dumont HS Following Threat Monday
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