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Protein I•ev(I Golden Line .TARTER GROWER LAYER - FINISHER PURINA •••••••••••••••••• News Police metal detectors respond to threat at CHSS Cheryl Heath COMEMMEMEND An April 6 threat, scrawled in pencil on a bathroom door at Central Huron Secondary School, came under the microscope following the April 16 massacre at Virginia Tech. Herb Klassen, principal at Central Huron Secondary School in Clinton, says the threat, which the OPP is describing as being "adverse" to the student body, was immediate- ly taken seriously. As is protocol, school adminis- trators photographed the graffiti, and then informed the Avon Maitland District School Board and the Huron OPP about the incident. Word soon spread through the school community about the threat, says Klassen, as it was spotted by two students "who told two students. It got blown out of , proportion." On April 16, when 32 students at Virginia Tech were shot dead by a 23 -year-old Cho Seung -Hui, who then killed himself, calls started coming into CHSS. It was then, says Klassen, that the school, in cooperation with police, decided to do a risk assessment. Ultimately, they decided to treat April 19, which is the day the threat was pledged to be carried out, as a "different day." However, a "code red," which students at CHSS have practised in the event a terrorist - driven event takes place, was not employed. "We are not going to call it a Code Red," said Klassen during an interview with The News -Record on April 18. He added that thanks to the measures employed on April 19, "I think this place is the safest one in Huron County." Klassen also noted students at the school who may be stressed or depressed have a number of avenues to find support. Klassen noted there are stop -gap measures, including student services, mentors for stu- dents in academic peril and health unit works and counsellors who visit the school. "We have all sorts of infrastructure," he said. "There are many avenues to get help." CHSS's school council president Bev Coleman said he received no calls from par- ents about the threat. "There was already a process in motion - basically it just becomes a police matter," he said. And, while he and his wife chose to send their daughters to school, he said "it's a pretty personal thing" about whether to keep stu- dents home or not. Parent Sandra Melady, of Seaforth, said she kept her son home from school Thursday. "I thought with all the hype in Virginia, who knows anymore? You hear so much spec- ulation and rumour, you don't know what to do," she said. Parent Steve Hildebrand decided to send his daughters. "We chatted about it and were feeling confident the school had things under control. By staying away, you only feed the fear and anger," he said. He added, however, that the massacre in Virgina Tech did "solidify the idea that it could happen." "Big city problems are our problems here too now," he said. On Thursday morning, CHSS teachers, along with members of the OPP, OPP Western Region K-9 and regional emergency response team manned the front entrance of the school, where metal detectors were used to ensure weapons were not brought into the school. One of the first students in the door was lugging a tuba, and two full backpacks. "Going on a trip?" joked one officer. The school's principal was also on hand to greet students as they made their way through the security system. The day went without incident but that is not to say all CHSS students were brushing off the incident as a hoax. Matt Fisher, prime minister of CHSS's stu- dent council, reported while some students, mostly in the younger grades, chose not to attend school on Thursday, there were others that felt that the police should've maintained a heavy presence throughout the day rather than just in the morning hours. "The kids were fine with the extra precau- tionary measures," said Fisher. Indeed, he said, many students he talked to found the entire scenario to be a real "eye opener." "It's not just some distant thing that hap- pens in America. I think it's pretty real for people," he said. Fisher noted the student council plans to further discuss the incident at its next meet- ing, though how to tackle the issues associat- ed with the incident is admittedly a tough row to hoe since there are a number of issues, including mental illness, to be addressed. "We're definitely going to talk about it,"- said Fisher, who agrees that there are a number of resources available at the school for students in need, there may be not enough resources being uti- lized to draw students into the pro- grams "Some students may get in the groove where they don't think they can change," said Fisher. He added that problems that plague some high schools, like bullying, are not widespread at CHSS. with files from Susan Hundertmark It's not just some distant thing that happens in America,' -- Matt Fisher, CHSS student prime minister ill ROTH DRAINAGE LIMITED Quality Workmanship Since 1948 • Farm Drainage • Excavator & Backhoe Service • Municipal Drainage • GPS Grade & Mapping • We Install Bruce Tile Call Dennis or Gerald for our 2007 Booking Program. Gads Hill Clinton 519-656-2618 519-482-5950 1.866.494.2618 1.866.671.5950