About half of the student body at Nampa’s East Valley Middle School were on a “parent-excused” absence Friday, following an anonymous threat Thursday night, according to a school district official.
“The school has about 1,000 students and normally, about ten percent are out on a Friday,” said Nampa School District spokeswoman Kathleen Tuck. “Today, it is closer to fifty percent. SBAC (Smarter Balance Assessment Consortium) testing is going on -- and a makeup test will be given next week for those who are out today.”
Many parents opted to keep their children home following an anonymous Instagram threat sent Thursday.
About 9:50 p.m. Thursday, East Valley Middle School principal Matt Crist sent a message to parents, students, faculty, and administration reading:
“This evening, Thursday, April 26th, the Nampa Police Department was made aware of a threat of violence to be made against East Valley Middle School tomorrow, Friday, April 27th. This threat was reported on social media through an anonymous Instagram account.
“This threat has been taken very seriously and actions have been taken immediately, in the last hour, to deter any acts. One student’s name has been associated with the threat and that individual student’s parent/guardian has been contacted by the Nampa Police Department and the Administrative Team at East Valley Middle School in the last hour at approximately 9 pm.
“While we are confident that we have addressed this threat, parents are welcome to keep their students home tomorrow out of an abundance of safety.
“We have addressed this threat and will continue to ascertain the factual information associated with it.
“We are, in every way, working to keep all students, faculty, staff, and our school safe at all times... ”
The Nampa Police Department is continuing its investigation.
