Haverhill Police were dispatched to Boardman Street’s Nettle Middle School Thursday for a bomb threat that Principal Timothy Corkery has now declared to be the latest in a series of “hoaxes,” he wrote in an email message to parents this afternoon.
Just after 1 p.m., Corkery alerted families that the word “bomb” was written on an eighth grade boys’ bathroom wall, along with other “inappropriate” language that referred to a threat against Corkery. The school’s Haverhill Police school resource officer Nicole Donnelly and Superintendent Margaret Marotta’s office were immediately notified, and additional police units were sent to the school to check the building, Corkery said.
“We believe these continued incidents are hoaxes,” Corkery said as the school grappled with the third publicly reported threat in as many months. “Once we find the individual responsible he will be held fully accountable with the school and the law.”
Marotta told WHAV students responsible for previous threats have been identified and disciplined, and is discouraged by the repeat offenses.
“School officials are working closely with police to put a stop to these incidents, to ensure the safety of students and to prevent further interruptions of student learning and classroom time,” she said.