In an email sent as early as 2:45 p.m. Monday, March 16, Principal Maryanne Ricketts informed Westside students’ parents and guardians of a “potential bomb threat and a gun on campus.”

In the email, which had a subject line of “Rumors at Westside High School,” Ricketts said rumors of the potential threats were similar to those that have been circulating around other Omaha Metro schools.

School will be held as planned as Ricketts said the school had not found a “credible threat.” The email said there will be an increased police presence at Westside.

In 2008, Westside sent a similar email home to parents, although that email mentioned a specific threat. In the spring of that year, a threat was made in a bathroom at Westside High School. Westside ramped up security, and police checked bags as students entered the building. Many students stayed home.

Tom Scott (Class of 2008) attended school that day, and he said he remembers it as a “very, very quiet day” as students stayed home.

“[It felt like] the early mornings or weekends when no one [is in the building],” Scott said. “But [it was] different because it was a usual day.”

Ricketts’s email today, of course, said there had been no credible threat, which differentiates the current situation from the one in 2008. The 2008 threat never materialized.

Westside Wired will keep you updated if there are any new developments. Ricketts urged students to avoid “engaging in rumors” and to talk with an adult if something makes them “uncomfortable.”

Here is Ricketts’s full email:

Dear Westside Families,

We wanted to make you aware about some rumors circulating through Westside High School regarding a potential bomb threat and a gun on campus.  These rumors are similar to those that recently circulated throughout other metro area schools.

Westside administrators contacted police. We have not identified any credible threat.  School will go on as scheduled.  As a precaution, we will have an additional police presence in and around the building.   

Westside is committed to safety and security, and to informing families of these types of rumors.  Please talk to your son or daughter about not engaging in rumors and encourage them to talk with a trusted adult about anything that makes them uncomfortable.

Sincerely,

Maryanne Ricketts