The Olentangy Local School District made two important security and safety announcements today. First, the person responsible for a bomb threat made at Olentangy Orange Middle School (OOMS) on Friday, February 19, 2010 has been identified. This quick response was made possible because of security enhancements made to the school in November and with the assistance of the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office.
Graffiti was found in a boy’s bathroom at approximately 1:29 p.m. that indicated a bomb threat. Students were held in their classrooms and no visitors were permitted on the premises for about 40 minutes while a more extensive security sweep of the school and the initial stages of the investigation were completed. A parent notice was emailed that afternoon and is available through the school’s Web site at www.olentangy.k12.oh.us/buildings/ooms/docs/02-19-10OOMSparentadvisory.pdf.
The second announcement is that this morning a canine walkthrough was conducted at all three of Olentangy’s high schools. The walkthroughs were conducted as a proactive measure and not in response to any actual or perceived increase in dangerous or illegal activity. The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office and other local law enforcement agencies were involved in a cooperative effort to provide this service at no cost to the district. The canine teams are trained to alert their handler to the scent of illegal drugs or drug residue. Students were held in their classes for about 45 minutes while the walkthroughs were conducted and classroom instruction went on as scheduled.
This was the first random walkthrough at any of Olentangy’s schools this school year. Parents were notified that the walkthroughs would be taking place in the coming weeks and the school’s administrative teams held parent meetings and discussed the walkthroughs with various student groups prior to today’s events. The district will be conducting further random walkthroughs in the future as part of the ongoing efforts to maintain safe learning environments for students. A frequently asked questions document is available for parents via the district’s Web site at www.olentangy.k12.oh.us/district/faqs/canineTeamFAQ.html.