Police reinforced at Waltham school after online shooting threat

Local news

A high school football game in western Massachusetts was also held without fans due to a shooting threat over the weekend.

Multiple online shooting threats directed at a Waltham middle school this weekend are the latest incident to disrupt the new school year since a deadly school shooting in Georgia.

Waltham officials said they were notified of a possible shooting at McDevitt High School after “multiple threats” were made via Snapchat. The school is working with police, the social media company and federal law enforcement to identify the person responsible, they said.

Law enforcement searched McDevitt High School in Waltham for weapons Sunday, Waltham Superintendent Marisa Mendonsa wrote to families.

Although no weapons were found, Mendonsa wrote, police presence will be increased “on every floor and in every corner of the building.” The threat was specifically aimed at McDevitt, but school protection officers will be present at every school Monday, she wrote.

Students are also being asked not to bring their backpacks on Monday. Any backpacks students bring will be searched by school staff and agents, Mendonsa wrote.

More Recent Threats in Massachusetts Schools

In western Massachusetts, a high school football game was rescheduled for Friday and then played without fans after social media posts raised safety concerns, Western Mass News reported.

There was a small police and security presence at the game between Amherst-Pelham Regional High School and Putnam High School that was postponed until Saturday night, according to the television station.

In Newburyport, a student allegedly made a verbal threat about a football game Friday night, the The Newburyport Daily Journal The game between Triton Regional and Amesbury high schools was played without incident Friday, and the student was charged after an investigation Saturday, the newspaper reported.

Earlier this month, Dedham High School’s season opener was canceled after a shooting threat was reported anonymously, school officials announced. Dover Sherborn, their opponent, followed with its own announcement canceling the junior varsity’s game scheduled for the next day.

The Dedham football game was canceled the same week a 14-year-old student shot and killed four people at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. Two 14-year-olds and two teachers were killed before the shooter surrendered.