Lawrence High School gun threat posted on social media

After investigation, police say it was unfounded

Posted

A gun threat against Lawrence High School posted on the social media outlet Snapchat was deemed unfounded by 4th Precinct police officers who investigated after being informed of the posting by Lawrence schools Superintendent Gary Schall on Friday.

“I learned of the threat at 5 a.m. and immediately called the Fourth Precinct,” Schall said. “For the record their responsiveness was incredible.”

Schall said half-dozen police officers met him at Lawrence High in Cedarhurst. After an investigation, the school district sent out an email to all employees and a robocall to parents informing them of what occurred.

“Afterwards we felt comfortable to proceed with a normal school day,” Schall said, adding that more than likely due to the threat, about half of the high school’s students did not attend school Friday. Police were at the school for student arrival and remained on the scene through the morning.

Schall said that the police traced the posting to a person who shared it with others on Snapchat. The police have yet to find the person who originally made the threat.

The police remain vigilant in collecting information about the incident. “We were notified by the superintendent this morning of information that he had obtained that a student might bring a weapon to school,” said Det. Vincent Garcia, of the Nassau County Police Department. “Fourth Precinct officers are currently investigating.”

Administrators and the district’s head of security Tom Foley discussed the incident, and Schall said in the near future there would be a more in-depth discussion on what happened, how it was handled and what could be improved.