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Phone threats spur security alert in Ashland schools By TONY BOOM ASHLAND - Two calls threatening violence sparked a security alert for Ashland High School and police presence at all Ashland district schools Wednesday. High school students were restricted to classrooms most of the day on a campus where they frequently gather in common areas. Police and administrators patrolled constantly. About 40 percent of students left the campus as the day progressed. Two threatening calls were made Tuesday evening, one to the high school's assistant principal and the second to a 911 operator. School officials decided to continue classes with greater security measures after conferring with the Ashland Police Department. "There wasn't enough information to say 'concentrate on the high school' so we decided to cover all schools," said Lt. Rich Walsh, Ashland police incident commander. Sheriff's deputies and Oregon State Police assisted with the patrols, which started at 4 a.m. As many as eight officers covered the high school during the morning, and at least three patrolled all day. Some officers were not in uniform. "There were lots of police," said 17-year-old senior Clayton Mattson. Some student backpacks were searched after police received tips of potential problems. None of the searches produced weapons or other violations, Walsh said. Procedures for gun situations on campus were put into effect, said Principal Julie Reynolds. Students were urged to let teachers or administrators know about anything unusual they observed. "You know the person who did this was just hoping school would be canceled," said junior Carson Colver, 17. "I had friends who were crying, fearing for their lives." Another student was skeptical of the police presence and questioned whether school should have been held. "It's rude to us to say they are going to stop it. If (someone) is going to shoot, they aren't going to stop it," said sophomore Paige Suste, 15. "I think school should be canceled." In the call to his home Tuesday night, Assistant Principal Ken Kigel heard a kid's voice say "lots of people are going to die tomorrow" when he picked up the phone at 8:22 p.m. The caller then hung up. Kigel used Caller ID to trace the call, which was made from a pay phone. District Superintendent Juli Di Chiro said at around 9 p.m. Tuesday a 911 caller claimed there would be a gun on the high school campus Wednesday. "It's always a difficult decision on how to respond to a phoned-in threat when there is no other evidence that there may be a problem," said Di Chiro. "We made the decision to have as normal a school day as possible." From one to three police officers were on duty at the district's middle school. Each elementary school also had an officer present all day. Increased security will continue through the rest of the week. Reach Ashland bureau reporter Tony Boom at 482-4651, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.