Haverhill Police were dispatched to Boardman Street’s Nettle Middle School for what Principal Timothy Corkery deemed student behavior “disruptive” to the overall learning environment that forced city first responders to divert resources elsewhere to tend to an incident out of an abundance of caution.
In an email to parents sent just before 3:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon, Corkery described how a student wrote a “single word” on a bathroom wall that led school officials to call police. Superintendent Margaret Marotta’s office tells WHAV the word written on the wall was indeed ‘bomb.’
“These behaviors are disruptive to the learning environment and force school and police to use resources that could be better utilized elsewhere,” Corkery said. “We continue to remain vigilant on these types of incidents and take all steps to determine who is responsible.”
According to the principal, Haverhill Police swept the building but students were not evacuated.
In recent weeks, Nettle has doubled down on their zero tolerance approach to school-related violence. WHAV was first to report Corkery and Superintendent Margaret Marotta’s response to a series of fighting games that spilled over from social media into Nettle hallways called “Go Thirty,” in which fifth graders challenge each other to fight for 30 seconds while the incident is recorded and uploaded online.
Any student caught fighting at school for any reason will be suspended, Marotta told WHAV the time. Students who participate by cheering or recording a physical altercation are also subject to disciplinary action.