January 3, 2013
Bomb threat forces students outside

By Courtney L. Saylor Herald Staff Writer

SHARON — A bomb threat found in a bathroom drove 1,000 Sharon High School students out into the cold Wednesday afternoon.

Shortly after 2 p.m. a custodian found a note written on a paper towel on the floor of a boys’ restroom that said there was an explosive device in a bathroom in the building with “ha ha ha” at the bottom, Superintendent John Sarandrea said.

“We will work with everyone that we have to make sure that everyone understands that this type of behavior is not going to be tolerated. It’s unacceptable. And there are strong, strong consequences,” Sarandrea said.

Even though authorities were sure the note wasn’t credible, Sarandrea said they had the students go outside as if they were having a fire drill “just as a precautionary measure.”

Police and administrators searched the building’s nine bathrooms and the locker rooms and surrounding areas and “didn’t find anything even remotely suspicious,” Sarandrea said.

They brought the students back into the building and Sarandrea explained over the public announcement system what had happened.

Sarandrea said he apologized for putting the children out “into the freezing cold, but the actions of one required me to do so.” He said the kids were outside for five to seven minutes while the building was searched and the whole thing was handled in about 30 minutes.

Authorities believe it was a male student who left the message and Sarandrea said the culprit was “obviously ill-advised.”

“We do have some evidence and leads as to who might have done (it). That individual will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” the superintendent said.

Because it was found in the boys’ bathroom, Sarandrea said they assume it was left by a boy. He said every male who signed in and out of the building or classrooms during that time frame will be questioned.

“We have a really nice handwriting sample,” he said.

Sarandrea said that in light of the recent shooting tragedy in Newtown, Conn., where a gunman killed 20 children and 6 adults in an elementary school, this incident was taken particularly seriously.

This bomb scare is the first in the Sharon City School District since Sarandrea was hired six years ago.

“Hopefully it’s the last one,” he said.

In 2004-2005, Mercer County area schools had a rash of such threats, with 34 reported to The Herald. Three of those were at Sharon High.

Each public school district in Mercer County plus Keystone Charter School, West Salem Township, and Brookfield had a threat that year. Authorities said 16 people were prosecuted, the youngest an 11-year-old girl and the oldest an 18-year-old boy.