NEW ORLEANS — Brother Martin officials say anonymous graffiti inside a bathroom posed a threat to safety on campus
It forced the New Orleans High School to beef up security and allow students to stay home if they felt unsafe.
Thursday, there was extra police and private guards on duty inside and outside the school.
Margarite Thompson rushed from New Orleans East to Gentilly to pick up her son after hearing about the threat.
“You send your kid to school to get a good education because Brother Martin is one of the best schools in the city and you have to worry about the safety,” Thompson said. “It’s scary.”
Her son Kevin Thompson is a freshman at the school.
“To my understanding, the threat said somebody was planning to harm the African Americans students of this school and it was supposed to be today,” Kevin Thompson said.
Brother Martin would not release the exact nature of the threating message or name the student responsible for the graffiti.
But in a statement said the school, working with authorities, deemed the threat to be not credible.
Other parents we spoke with were satisfied with the school’s response to the situation.
“I think the students were worried,” Trainor said. “I think my son wanted to come to school today, so he came to school and he felt safe.”
Kevin Thompson left school early.
He said whether the threat was credible or not, you never know what could happen.
“I don’t like the fact that this is what it takes to actually feel safe, since school is supposed to be a safe environment for kids,” Thompson said.
In an email to parents, a school official said, “I understand that this situation is unsettling. If you feel it is best that you do not send your son to school, please know that we understand and support your decision and that his absence will be excused.”
According to Brother Martin, the extra security will remain on campus until next Friday, that’s the final day of the school year.