Paramus High School Sheltered-in-Place Friday Out of "Abudance of Caution"

PARAMUS, NJ - A social media post that raised concerns at the high school level caused the district to announce a shelter-in-place at the high school on Friday, September 6. Minutes later it was lifted but caused the district to have a delayed dismissal, arousing community concern.

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Superintendent Sean Adams, in concert with the district's security team and the police, reacted “out of an abundance of caution” to meliorate the situation.

The situation comes just days after a shooting at the Apalachee, Georgia, high school in which two students and two teachers died Wednesday, September 4, in the 45th school shooting of 2024.

No details about the social media post were released, but the superintendent released a clarification of what happened on Friday at the end of the school day.

Paramus Superintendent Letter to Community on Friday, Sept. 6

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Dear Paramus Community,

Understandably, a number of questions have been asked regarding the events that took place at the high school this afternoon. While not all details are able to be shared at this time, I would like to provide some clarification regarding this afternoon’s timeline.

T he high school administration received information this afternoon regarding a social media post that raised some concerns. Although the post contained no specific threat against the school, the a dministration immediately initiated an investigation, notifying the security team and the Paramus Police.

T he preliminary details gathered from the investigation confirmed there was not a proven-credible t hreat against the school. However, out of an abundance of caution, and since it was nearing dismissal t ime, students were kept in their grade-level meetings until a few minutes past regular dismissal to a llow time to finalize the details of that initial conclusion. Subsequently, a decision to enact a s helter-in-place was made and announced over the loudspeakers, and Principal Miller quickly recorded and delivered an informational alert for high school parents shortly thereafter via telephone.

Fortunately, the shelter-in-place was lifted just a few minutes later, and students began a phased d ismissal. Unfortunately, since the buses used to transport high school students home are the same o nes used to transport elementary students home, the delayed dismissal at the high school consequently impacted the dismissal times at the elementary schools, as well.

I am proud to share that the responsiveness of the high school administration, faculty, staff, and s tudents was exemplary, as was the dedication of the Paramus Police to the safety and security of our s tudents and staff. While the timing of the investigation heightened the impact on our resources more than usual, our team was well-prepared and safety protocols were followed appropriately.

Of course, as always, the administration and the Paramus Police continue our collaboration on ensuring the Paramus Public Schools remain a safe and healthy place for students to learn.

Sincerely,

Sean Adams

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