DANVERS — St. John’s Prep is set to resume classes and after-school activities Wednesday as the school continues to deal with the reverberations of a hoax report of an active shooter on campus Monday afternoon that set off a panic, which was only heightened when a Danvers police officer’s gun misfired.
All classes and after school activities were cancelled Tuesday in the wake of the incident.
The campus will likely not resemble what students are used to seeing, with a heightened police presence and trauma counselors available to talk to students, faculty, and staff, the school said in a statement. Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council police department comfort dogs will be at the school from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday.
“As a values-rich and faith-based institution, our school turns to our faith and to prayer in times of trouble and grief as we seek to console and support each other as a community, as well as all those impacted by Monday’s events,” the statement said.
Danvers and State Police responded to the school at 1:49 p.m. Monday due to a report of an armed person threatening to cause harm in the men’s restroom at Brother Benjamin Hall. Officers quickly made entry into the building, and declared the all-clear at 2:09 p.m.
The incident, which came just days after the school held its commencement, still rattled the community.
“We are extraordinarily grateful for the presence and efforts of law enforcement and associated agencies throughout this time, and for the performance of faculty, staff and students in the execution of what they have drilled for during their time on campus,” the statement said. “We are also deeply indebted to the surrounding community and to our neighbors, who graciously welcomed students onto their property into their homes as Monday’s events unfolded.”
