The Levittown School District executed their Emergency Management Plan on Wednesday, Feb. 13 after a threatening message was found in MacArthur High School. The handwritten note that read "I Will Kill Every 1 on 2/15/08" was found on a bathroom stall.

Although the threat was not directed at any one individual or group of individuals, the district said this writing constituted a threat and required the implementation of protocol as outlined in the district's Emergency Management Plan.

"Accordingly, the MacArthur parents and students were notified that a threat of violence had been received and that the school would be on a lock-out for Thursday and Friday, Feb. 14-15," Superintendent Dr. Herman Sirois said.

According to a press release on the Levittown School District's website, the Nassau County Police Department's 8th Precinct was also contacted. They provided a presence in and around the building to monitor the situation and assist school personnel if appropriate.

"The next morning, all students, including their backpacks, were searched as they entered the school building," Dr. Sirois explained. "The lockout search procedures were repeated on Friday morning as well. In both cases, students handled themselves admirably in cooperating with the search and getting to their classes before the first bell rang. On Thursday night, a security sweep and check of all lockers was conducted followed with the student searches at the opening of school on Friday. The district was as confident as it could be that no weapons existed inside the school that might be used to carry out the threat of violence."

School district personnel assisted in the morning searches, as did the faculty members and other personnel at MacArthur High School.

"Everyone - students, faculty and parents - maintained themselves professionally and appropriately throughout the two days," Dr. Sirois said.

By dismissal on Friday afternoon, no incident occurred relative to the threat and the students were dismissed with a minimum amount of disruption. All school activities continued normally on Thursday and Friday will be considered regular school days.

While attendance was at a normal level on Thursday, Feb. 14, it was down about 50 percent on Friday, Feb. 15.

Dorothy Borgese, a member of the Salk/MacArthur PTSA sent her children to school on Friday, although she said she probably wouldn't have if she knew any absences that day would be excused due to the circumstances.

"My daughter said they were told to take a nap and they watched TV and played games," she added. "The school should have just chosen to close for the day."

Borgese said even though she thought the incident was a high school prank, "with all the tax money that is spent on the schools, there should be a youth officer at least in every high school."

Dr. Sirois said that lock-out procedures ended on Friday and will not continue after the students return from February recess on Feb. 25.