School, police address threat

Thompson Falls Schools and the City of Thompson Falls Police Department continue to investigate an incident at Thompson Falls High School in which a student allegedly made threats of violence during a lunch period.

Superintendent Jason Slater said the incident happened Thursday, Nov. 16. He said the high school principal, Rich Ferris, engaged immediately, and that the school completed a threat assessment. The result of the threat assessment was there was no threat to any student or group of students, Slater said. The school was not locked down and no classes were canceled because of the incident.

Slater said he had a meeting Monday with the school resource officer, counselor, principal, guardian and student, and the team determined there was no threat to student safety. Because of privacy laws, the administration is limited on what information can be shared.

On Friday, a report was made to the Thompson Falls Police Department that two boys were “threatening to bomb and shoot up school.” Slater said school officials met with Chief of Police Chris Nichols on Friday. And Monday, the school sent a notice to parents “reassuring people that our schools are safe and encouraging people to go to school officials for information,” Slater said.

Slater said that one of the challenges is the power of social media and how quickly information can spread.

“That can result in creating a panic and spreading fear,” he said.

The announcement to parents said “a careless statement was made related to potential violence in our high school. School personnel take statements of this nature seriously. … School personnel are actively monitoring the situation and are dedicated to providing a safe environment for all of our students.”

“Every incident that you go through is an opportunity to learn and review,” Slater said. “The principal and administration did a good job in working with parents and the school resource officer.”