Frustrated students gave Tiverton school leaders an earful when they spoke at a special school safety public forum held at the high school last week in the wake of two recent incidents —  a bomb threat and the recent presence of an intruder who roamed the halls for more than 45 minutes before being stopped by a teacher.

Saying they aren't given the information they need when incidents occur, students implored school leaders to do a better job communicating vital information to them when incidents occur, and said the district also needs to do a better job preparing students for such incidents.

“This wasn’t the first time," student Samuel Farley said. "Students and staff for their part have consistently been left in the dark in the aftermath of school-wide events. Parents are e-mailed. Students are not.”

A bomb threat and an intruder

At around 4 a.m. on Jan. 10, the high school principal reported to police and the superintendent that she had received an e-mail stating that bombs placed in the school would detonate at 11 a.m. Tiverton police, local and state fire personnel, and the Rhode Island State Bomb Squad sealed off the building and conducted a thorough search. The building was deemed safe, which allowed the school day to start on time. At 9:43 a.m., administrators notified parents of the incident, referring to it as a “non-credible threat to the school.” A 14-year-old Tiverton High School student faces felony charges in connection with the incident.

At 7:18 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1, a high school student opened a door that is normally locked so a former student who is currently homeschooled could enter. The 16-year-old wandered the halls until 8:05 a.m., when a teacher stopped him and escorted him to the office. By that time, administrators had determined he was a former student who they believed did not pose a threat. At 8:12 a.m., police were called and two minutes later, the principal put the school on lockdown because the intruder had caused a disturbance when he learned authorities had been notified. The young man, who was dressed in black and at one point donned a ski mask while in the school, was charged with disturbance of public assembly and disorderly conduct. The district notified parents of the incident at 8:28 a.m.

School leaders respond

School officials tried to assure the audience that Tiverton schools are safe, and they also apologized for the way they handled the recent incidents.

“To the extent to which communication has in any way decreased your confidence in the safety of our schools, we sincerely apologize," school committee chairman Jerome Larkin said as he opened the meeting.

Larkin’s comments were followed by a presentation by Superintendent Peter Sanchioni, who described the two incidents in specific detail, provided timelines, and reviewed the policies that governed administrators’ responses. He also said current policies have been updated and new ones have been implemented as a direct result of recent events.

Still, many in the audience had questions and critiques of the school department and its responsibility to be open and transparent in dealing with incidents.

Referring to the ever-present threat of potential violence in the classroom that he and his peers have grown up with, Farley spoke of how it has impacted their world view. It has created a mindset of fear, he said, “that one day an intruder may come and wreak havoc in our schools and jobs and parks – the areas we are meant to feel safe.”

So when administrators declared a lockdown earlier this month and later lifted it with no explanation, Farley said students felt clueless. They could have simply explained, he said, that an intruder had entered the building but was apprehended. He said more communication is key, and presented a list of student demands for administrators that includes the recommendation that e-mails be sent to both parents and students when the school faces a possible threat.

Senior class president Amelia Gerlach, who described growing up in a world where school shootings are all too common, criticized school administrators for “vague e-mails with absolutely zero information.”

“If there was a masked intruder in the building, parents should be receiving that information from the head of the school…not their terrified teenager.”

Senior Emily Mello and others mentioned that ALICE drills (active shooter response training protocol) are not being practiced regularly at the high school and that she hasn’t participated in one since freshman year. She also noted that the presence of a “consistent and regular School Resource Officer in the building might have helped alleviate the fears of many, and protocol might have been followed.”

In response, Police Chief Patrick Jones introduced Officer Jessica Anderson, who was seated in the audience with other officers, as the new interim SRO.

At the close of the meeting, school committee member Diane Farnworth directed part of her comments specifically to students, thanking them for expressing their concerns.

“You are the reason we have schools at all. You deserve to feel safe. We’ll do our part to help improve.”