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The
following message
was posted as urgent or
important
on: November
21, 2006
Dear
Parents and Community Members,
I
want to let you know what has actually happened regarding the vandalism
at CCHS, and hopefully dispel the rumors that are floating around. I am
writing this so you will know the truth, as I know you have concerns
about the safety and well being of your children.
Last
Friday morning, at approximately midnight, some individuals gained
access to CCHS. They broke into the vending machines, the office area,
and a few classrooms. Some computer monitors, parts of the computer
network, the fire alarm panel and intercom were damaged. The area of
damage was relatively small, but because of what was broken the
financial cost is high. In terms of the actual damage, nearly everything
was repaired or replaced, and back to normal by noon on Monday.
Throughout this whole process, the police and fire departments have
assisted us and have reviewed our safety procedures.
Additional
problems we have dealt with are the rumors that have been circulated as
a result of the vandalism. One rumor was that we had a bomb threat on
Saturday. The other rumor (today) is that students were going to bring
weapons to school. Both of these are false. Let me address each of them.
Crimestoppers
offered a reward for information leading to the arrest of those who are
responsible for the vandalism. A couple of calls went to Crimestoppers
with names of persons believed to have vandalized the school. What was
also said is that these persons had said at one time in the past they
wanted to bring/plant a bomb at school. Based on that, the police
department felt that it would be prudent to search the school with the
bomb-sniffing dog.
On
Saturday, the police, the DOC dog and handler, some school
administrators, and district administrators walked the entire school to
check it out. Nothing was found to be suspect, and no bombs were found
in the building. While there was no bomb threat made, the story of a
bomb threat was hard to stop. I believe the police acted prudently in
checking out the possibility and following up on Crimestoppers tips.
Yesterday
evening, two students had a conversation on MySpace.com fearing that
students were going to bring weapons to school today. Again, our police
department was able to track down who the students were and then went to
their houses around midnight. After interviewing the students and
parents, the police were able to determine that the rumor was bogus.
These students were afraid that it might happen and let the story
grow from "might" to "will". It is important to
stress the fact that the police checked it out and determined that the
threat was not real. Nevertheless, the damage was done, as the
information on MySpace had already been e-mailed to others who chose to
believe it.
Once
again we are battling rumors, trying to get the facts out.
Keep
in mind that school safety is utmost in my mind and, consequently, I
will take whatever steps are necessary to keep our students and staff
safe. We have and continue to work closely with law enforcement to bring
those to justice who are responsible for this, and also to create a safe
environment in which to learn. Police indicated to me today that arrests
are forthcoming regarding these incidents.
The
fact remains, we have had acts of vandalism. It has been cleaned up or
repaired, and students and staff have been safe throughout this entire
time. As with many other challenges we will face, we will handle this
one and be stronger because of it.
I
hope that this Thanksgiving holiday is restful and provides quality time
with family. When we return next week, our school life will go on and,
hopefully, normalcy will return. Have a good vacation.
Sincerely,
Dr.
Cindy Compton
Principal
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