Sanford High School cancels classes as police investigate threat found in bathroom

SANFORD, Maine — Police are investigating a threat discovered inside one of the bathrooms at Sanford High School on Monday.

As a precaution, Superintendent Matt Nelson announced in a letter to staff and families that there will be no school for students at Sanford High School and Sanford Regional Technical Center on Tuesday, Oct. 1. Additionally, all after-school activities at the high school have been canceled.

The threat was dated for Oct. 1, according to Nelson.

In his letter sent home Monday afternoon, Nelson said he decided to cancel school at the high school and regional technical center “out of an abundance of caution,” even though he and other officials were confident it "was not a direct threat."

“Student and staff safety is always our top priority,” Nelson said.

All other schools in the district will be open on Tuesday.

Sanford High School and Sanford Regional Technical Center will reopen on Wednesday, Oct. 2, with an increased police presence on campus as an added safety precaution, Nelson said.

“We encourage anyone who encounters any potential safety concern to report it immediately to school administration or local authorities,” Nelson said.

Sanford Regional Technical Center serves students from numerous school districts, including the Wells-Ogunquit Community School District and RSU 21, which comprises Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, and Arundel.

Earlier this month, school officials and authorities investigated another threat at the high school, and that one was determined not to be credible, according to Nelson.

Nelson expressed gratitude to the local police for their involvement in the case.

“We’re not working in isolation,” he said. “We’re working with the Sanford police, and I’m appreciative of that.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Sanford High School cancels classes as police investigate threat found in bathroom