Sag Harbor Village police this week investigated a threat of violence that was said to have been made by a Pierson Middle and High School student, ultimately finding it to be without credibility.
Police Chief Austin J. McGuire said a threat was made by one student to another individual student, rather than to the school at large. He said multiple students were interviewed in relation to the incident starting on Tuesday, including the student who allegedly said he was going to shoot another student. He said the student whose statements were perceived as worrisome did not have access to a gun, and there may have been a bullying issue at play.
"There was no crime, and it is up to the school to handle the situation as they saw fit. It was taken care of," said the chief, who has two children who attend Pierson. "There was an incident, but this type of thing typically blows up on Facebook." Chief McGuire also used the word "misinformation" when he spoke on the record on Saturday morning.
The Sag Harbor School District was aware of the situation, Chief McGuire said. However, school officials did not immediately respond with a public statement. Eleanor Tritt, the interim superintendent, said Sunday morning that the district did do a "thorough investigation" of its own as the police were working on it.
"We have very strict confidentiality laws and privacy laws regarding students, and we want to respect those requirements as well," Ms. Tritt said. "[Village police] have assured us, and through our own investigation we have determined, that many of the things you may have heard are unfounded."
One local parent on Saturday referred to a perceived lack of "official information" from the school district in general as a concern among parents.
"It's tricky. . . . The parents are left to figure out what's going on on their own," said Larry Baltz, who said he simply sought clarity when he met with Ms. Tritt and Jeff Nichols, the high school principal, later in the week. "The primary sources end up being students and the worry is that anytime you are relying upon students giving you information, there is a potential for exaggeration or misinformation."
Ms. Tritt said the administration is available to talk to or meet with individual parents on various issues. "If there is something that is credible or something that people would have the need to know about that would impact them, the district would certainly follow up on that," she said.
"No, there's not going to be a school shooting," the chief said. "Two boys got into it and one boy told the other, 'I'm going to shoot you.' I'm in constant contact with the school. . . . It's not going to be a criminal matter."