Lynn police investigate threat at Classical

LYNN – Police will be on alert at Classical High School following a threat that there would be a school shooting Friday, but the principal and Lynn police said there is no evidence the threat is credible and school will proceed as scheduled.”We are all taking it seriously and we are investigating it and hopefully will figure out soon who wrote it and why they wrote it,” Lynn Police Chief Kevin Coppinger said Tuesday. He confirmed that the message referenced a school shooting, but emphasized there was no evidence suggesting the threat is credible.”Classes are continuing as scheduled and we will keep school open. If we develop any information that makes this more credible, we would share it with the school and the community,” he said.Coppinger said officers received a report late Tuesday morning that a note written in pencil on the wall of the third-floor boys’ room threatened a school shooting Friday. Officers immediately responded to the scene.Classical Principal Gene Constantino sent out a message to parents Tuesday afternoon that was more vague, informing them of a note that referenced “Friday, March 20, as a date of potential violence in the school.””While there is no evidence to support the threat at this time, it is being taken seriously,” Constantino said. “Please be assured we place the highest priority on the safety of our students and staff. There will be a visible police presence at Classical starting immediately. Police will be patrolling inside and outside the building. School will be in session on Friday.”Coppinger said several detectives are working closely with the school department to investigate the matter and police plan to patrol the school the remainder of the week.”Hopefully we can solve this in relatively short fashion,” Coppinger said. “If anybody has any information, please get it to us, it’s going to help solve this quickly so we can protect our children and school staff.”Coppinger expressed confidence that officers and Classical faculty and staff would be “extra alert” and “will have their ears to the ground,” in line with trainings for such situations.He noted that police have received threats of school shootings before, and hoped this event would end similarly.”These have happened before and we’ve been successful in locating the individual who did that,” Coppinger said. “And we are hopeful to locate him or her now and quickly.”