Possible school threat against Broome-Tioga BOCES investigated, determined 'not credible'
Broome County school districts and Broome-Tioga BOCES were on high alert Wednesday after a reported threat that officials say amounted to a rumor gone viral.
BOCES Superintendent Allen Buyck said everyone is "hypervigilant" when any potential threat arises, but Saturday's mass shooting in Buffalo has given added weight to possible threats.
A white 18-year-old Conklin man has been charged with first-degree murder after police said he shot 13 people, 10 fatally, at a Tops supermarket in a racially motivated attack.
The man underwent a mental evaluation after making a threat at Susquehanna Valley High School in 2021. The district contacted the state police after the threat, and the evaluation determined he wasn’t dangerous, Broome County District Attorney Michael Korchak said Tuesday.
How BOCES, police responded to report
On Wednesday, BOCES officials contacted local police agencies to investigate the latest threat, and they worked with school resource officers to question students about the report, Buyck said.
A letter sent by a local school district said the threat targeted the BOCES Education Center in Binghamton.
Police said an investigation determined a student had been suspended, and another student told friends they wouldn't be surprised if the suspended student showed up at school with a gun the next day, according to Buyck.
A nearby freshman apparently overheard that conversation, then reported to a teacher that a student was planning to bring a gun to school.
BOCES and area school districts sent out messages to residents informing them of the situation, and word quickly spread on social media, Buyck said, but ultimately the threat was deemed not credible.
"The student never made that statement. He had no intent," he said. "The student was not even in school anyway."
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This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Broome County, BOCES school threat deemed not credible
