Police increased at Waltham school after online shooting threat

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

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

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

While no weapons were found, Mendonsa wrote, there will be an increased police presence “on every floor and corner of the building.” The threat was specific to McDevitt, but there will be school resource officers at every school on Monday, she wrote.

Students are also asked not to bring their backpacks on Monday. backpacks that students do bring will be searched by school staff and officers, Mendonsa wrote.

More recent threats at Massachusetts schools

In western Massachusetts, a high school football game was rescheduled Friday and then proceeded without fans after social media posts prompted 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 rescheduled to Saturday night, according to the television station.

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

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

Dedham’s football game was canceled the same week that 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.