WR Elementary receives threat

By Zsombor Peter
Staff Writer

GALLUP — The Window Rock School District was the victim of yet another fake bomb threat Tuesday, this one to the elementary school.

It came a day after parents vented their frustrations with the rash of phony threats that has plagued the district this semester during a board meeting at Window Rock High School, which has been the target of most of the threats.

According to Superintendent Thomas Jackson, the district has been hit by eight bomb or weapons threats since August. Tuesday's, he said, marks the second at the elementary school.

"It's pretty ridiculous," Jackson said, echoing the sentiments of many a parent.

Navajo Nation police officials familiar with the details of Tuesday's incident could not be reached for comment.

According to Jackson, an adult-sounding male called in the threat Tuesday morning. At first the secretary could not understand the caller because he was mumbling. She thought he was asking about the weather and asked him to repeat himself, Jackson said, "and then he yelled 'There's a bomb in the school.'"

The other threats to date have been written.

"The secretary said he really sounded very angry," Jackson added.

The requisite agencies showed up, evacuated the building, searched the rooms, and had the students back in their classes by the afternoon.

Jackson said he was worried the tribe's emergency responders would stop taking the threats to the district seriously after so many false calls none of the calls have turned up any bombs or weapons but was relieved that they haven't. During Monday's board meeting, Navajo Nation Police Sgt. Wallace Billie said the department would continue to treat each threat as if it were the real thing.

That's not going to be cheap for either the police department or the school district, though. The tribe spends thousands of dollars responding to each call. Between everything from the food that goes spoiled in the cafeteria to the overtime the teachers will be paid when the missed days are made up next year, Jackson figures the evacuations and lockdowns will have already cost the district a few hundred thousand dollars.

Jackson added that the district had every intention of making the students and their parents repay that money and pressing the police to charge them to the fullest extent the law allows. He's called the threats to the district veritable acts of terrorism.

The police have yet to charge anyone in connection to the fake threats but say they have several suspects. The school district is also preparing to expel the students responsible.