Roselle Park High School (RPHS) principal Sarah Costa addressed high school parents and guardians regarding yesterday’s lockdown (article link). After addressing the entire school body, Mrs. Costa sent a communique to parents stressing that students should notify someone of anything they see or hear that is of concern or suspicious to someone at home or school.
“Administration found out about a chain of messages from earlier in the week in which a student stated something in reference to ‘shooting up the school’,” relayed Mrs. Costa in her statement, “Sadly, this was not reported to ANYONE in administration or any teacher, yet MANY students saw the posting.”
The school principal went on to explain that administration was made aware of the post purely through the investigation of an unrelated matter. Once aware of the posting, the Roselle Park Police Department (RPPD) was notified who, in turn, conducted a search of the building.
Principal Costa said she told students to never take comments of violence as a joke, stressing that school safety is everyone’s responsibility. She added that students should stay out of large group chats, social media sites or chains that discuss anything inappropriate, from sharing homework to demeaning others to inappropriate sexual comments.
Ending her correspondence by assuring parents that Roselle Park High School is safe, Mrs. Costa remarked to parents, “Please use this opportunity to have a discussion with your child about the appropriate use of technology and always letting a parent or staff member know if they are not comfortable with something they see or hear on social media.”