no fire. The all-clear signal is given. However, this student has broken the
law. Setting off a false fire alarm is a potentially dangerous act, as people
could be injured during an evacuation.
The supervisor of school security in Ms. Niles-Perry’s school came up
with an ingenious way to identify such students. The fire alarms in the
school required a person to pull a lever. This supervisor had the custodial
staff paint this lever with very thick, viscous purple mimeograph ink. This
ink never dries and is indelible. Anyone pulling the lever would find he
had a purple hand, making it easy for Ms. Niles-Perry’s staff to locate the
perpetrator of a false alarm. The fire marshal, the police, and the student’s
parents would be notified and, in some cases, charges were pressed. Once
word of the repercussions of sending a false alarm permeates a school,
such false alarms will cease.
The second cause of evacuations is the threatening phone call. During
Mr. Thelen’s days as a teacher at a large comprehensive high school dur-
ing the turbulent 1970s, such bomb threats were relatively common. The
administration, to avoid frequent evacuations, had a code for all staff.
A PA announcement that “the superintendent is in the building” meant
a bomb threat had been received. All staff members were to continue
conducting classes while at the same time looking into desk and cabinet
drawers in the classroom as security checked around the school. Nothing
was ever found and the all-clear signal—“The superintendent has left the
building”—meant there would be no evacuation.
During 2001–2002, there was a resurgence of bomb threats after 9/11.
On one occasion, police detectives came to Ms. Valletta’s office to say
that they had received a “credible” threat, but it was her decision whether
or not to evacuate the school. Ms. Valletta considered this carefully, but
decided not to evacuate, sending notification of the decision to the su-
perintendent. In a city filled with landmarks, why would a terrorist target
her obscure school in a quiet residential area? Nothing happened. There
was one more threat and again, nothing happened. Yes, Principal Valletta
took a chance, albeit a miniscule one. The alternative would have been
to evacuate and then face ever more ersatz bomb threats leading to daily
evacuations and disruptions.
Today’s principal, especially in rural and suburban areas, will be faced
with threats of a Columbine nature. If law enforcement indicates the threat
is credible, the leader should evacuate immediately.
94 Chapter 7