FARMINGTON — Students and staff at the Mt. Blue Campus were dismissed early Monday and classes were canceled for Tuesday after threats were made in the morning and the afternoon, Superintendent Christian M. Elkington said in a Facebook post.
The morning threat proved to be a hoax. Farmington Police Chief Kenneth Charles said state police did a thorough search of the campus and nothing was found.
“It was not a credible threat,” he said, adding that the investigation will continue into the source of the threat.
Regional School Unit 9 officials were notified of the threat and classes were dismissed for the day. High school students were sent home by noon, either by bus or their personal vehicles. All after-school activities were also canceled.
The Maine State Police Explosive Detection Canine Team was called to check the campus, which includes Mt. Blue High School and the Foster Regional Applied Technology Center. Public safety officers and Farmington Fire and Rescue were also on site.
“All students and staff are safe,” according to a post on the school district’s Facebook page.
Later in the evening, Elkington said the school received a second threat, which was also being investigated.
The second threat of a shooting was reported at approximately 2 p.m., Charles wrote in an email Tuesday morning. It was transmitted via social media.
“We were able to quickly identify and locate the source of the threat, a juvenile associated with the school,” Charles wrote. “Charges are pending and the identity of the subject will not be released due to his age.”
“Through our work with the Farmington PD we believe this second concern is also unfounded, but due to an additional threat being made towards Mt. Blue Campus and the lateness of the hour there will be no school tomorrow, Jan. 31, 2023, for Grades 9-12,” Elkington said. “It is most important for us to finish our work with law enforcement in regards to both threats, tomorrow.”
Mt. Blue staff were asked to be on campus Tuesday for district work and investigation purposes.
Staff and students will make up Tuesday’s work on March 17, Elkington said. After-school activities on the Mt. Blue Campus were also canceled for Tuesday.
Elkington said there were no other threats made to any other RSU 9 schools, and all other RSU 9 schools will be open Tuesday as scheduled.
Elkington said he expects grades 9-12 to be back in school Wednesday.
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