Both Old Town and Portland High School will be closed Thursday after alleged threats to student safety were made.
While no specifics about the threat to Old Town High School were given, school officials said on Facebook Wednesday evening the move is out of an abundance of caution.
“We are choosing to err on the side of caution to protect the safety and well-being of our community,” Principal Scott Gordon said.
The Old Town school grounds will be closed and the day will be added to the end of the school year to be made up.
In Portland, a threat was identified at around 10:30 a.m. at Bonny Eagle High School, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office. School administrators were notified of a photo circulating on social media that showed a wall with a handwritten note that described an act of violence, which also expressed the intent to carry out the act of violence on Sept. 30, Capt. Donald Foss said.
The sheriff’s office was not able to determine where the threat originated from, and does not believe that it poses a danger to Bonny Eagle High School students, or surrounding schools.
The threat did not name any specific school in the Portland area, and out of an abundance of caution, Portland High School officials made the decision to close the school for the day in order to protect students’ safety.
All after school activities at Portland High School will be canceled on Thursday as well, according to Tess Nacelewicz, the communications coordinator for Portland public schools.
This story appears through a partnership with the Bangor Daily News.