Sullivan West survives three bomb scares

By TOM KANE

JEFFERSONVILLE — This past week was a difficult time for the Sullivan-West at Jeffersonville (SW/JY) administration, staff and students.

Three notes warning of an impending bomb explosion were found in restrooms of the school by maintenance workers: one on Friday afternoon warning of an explosion on Monday, another on Monday about a Tuesday explosion and a third on Wednesday threatening a Thursday explosion.

Each time, the state police came with their K-9 dog unit to sniff every locker, classroom, faculty room and storage. No bombs were found.

“We followed police advice and did not use the media to inform parents,” said district superintendent Michael Johndrow at the school board meeting last Thursday evening. “We used our emergency committee to call parents on each occasion. When we couldn’t reach a parent, we tried to reach a neighbor. It was very exhausting.” SW/JY has a student population of about 900 students.

School officials told parents not to allow their children to carry any big bags to school. They also informed parents that children could be kept at home without penalty.

A writer of one of the notes was apprehended and admitted guilt. The student, whose name is being withheld, was attending middle school, and has been suspended for one year.

“We’re investigating the other incidents,” Johndrow said.

Regular classes end on June 14 and Regents exams begin. Graduation will be held June 22.

“Many schools experience this kind of thing at the end of the year,” Johndrow said.

In other school board matters, Judy Krauss, a parent, addressed the board about the work of the Committee to Foster Tolerance over the past two years. “We’ve identified a training program for teachers and another for students from the Anti-Defamation League that is marvelous, and will be adopted by the school this fall,” Krauss said.

Krauss said that she met with the Beaverkill Foundation, headed by Sandra Gerry, which offered an $8,000 grant to pay for the training. “I also met with Mr. Alan Gerry, who said he’d like to see this program in every county school,” Krauss said.