As of 10:45 this morning, the Secure and Hold at SHS has been lifted. The school was placed into a Secure and Hold at 9:30 a.m. due to a threat made through a phone call to the school. SPS administrators and the Somerville Police Department conducted a thorough search of the school for approximately one hour and fifteen minutes. We found no evidence of a safety concern in the building and all school operations have now returned to normal.

Out of an abundance of caution, the Somerville Police Department will have a presence outside of the school through dismissal today. 

 

We understand the difficult emotions that may come with the announcement of a Secure and Hold, but please know that we take safety and security very seriously and we have these procedures in place for exactly these reasons. We appreciate the efforts of parents and guardians to refrain from visiting the school while we conducted our investigation this morning.

 

As a reminder, during Secure and Holds, students and staff are called into classrooms while investigations take place. Teaching and learning continues inside classrooms, however no foot traffic is allowed in the hallways or common spaces. Our staff are trained and prepared to respond to Secure and Hold situations such as this, and we are thankful to our team and to our first responders who reacted quickly this morning to allow school operations to return to normal as quickly as possible. 

 

If your student needs some additional support, please have them reach out to their school counselor. 

 

Sincerely,

Dr. Carmona, Superintendent

Alicia Kersten, SHS Principal