Karla's Kolumn

Threats to our schools and our students are, unfortunately, becoming all too familiar and commonplace.

While Thursday’s threat at Worland High School created the most disruption it was not the first threat this year, nor even the second.

The first came in a multi-state threat to government and schools in which some schools and college campuses in the Big Horn Basin locked down or shut down, while others like Worland, on the advice of law enforcement that deemed it as not a credible threat, continued school as normal.

The second was a SnapChat message sent apparently as a joke from one student to another. The other student rightly contacted school officials. This was after school hours so again, school was not disrupted. Law enforcement spoke to the student.

In 2012 there was a similar threat to the one Thursday, again at Worland High School, with a threat found in the men’s restroom.

That’s quite a few threats for a community like Worland.

Fortunately, all the “threats” have been, just that, threats, with no one injured or hurt. But is that really accurate.

Yes, in Thursday’s bomb threat, no person was physically injured by a bomb as the person or persons threatened.

But there was harm done by the person making the threats.

In today’s society where violence seems to erupt over the least little comment or differing of opinion, such as at the University of California at Berkley, in a world where terrorist organizations have declared war on the United States and its citizens; in a world of intolerance and hate, every threat has to be considered credible at the start.

With the statewide threat in September, it was fairly easy to dismiss the threat — it was sent out to several states, no specific target was mentioned.

Thursday, the threat was real, the person making the threat specified, time, day and place. Threats like those the school district has no choice but to err on the side of caution.

So where was the harm since no one was physically injured and the school was not damaged:

—Wrestlers from our own school and three visiting schools were not afforded the opportunity to compete. Parents and fans of our own wrestlers missed the opportunity of a final home meet to cheer on our own wrestlers.

Those same wrestlers had to leave everything behind during the evacuation, phones, personal effects, as they were in the midst of weigh-ins. Other students also left many items behind

Some students and wrestlers came back to the school at 10 p.m. to retrieve their belongings.

The wrestlers from the other schools had to wait for their wrestling gear until Worland delivers them to the Riverton tournament.

—Classes were disrupted with the evacuation occurring prior to the end of school.

—I’ve witnessed lockdowns that turn out to be from unfounded threats. While some students react with jokes or have confidence that all will be fine, other students can become fearful and anxious.

—Law enforcement, school personnel and emergency personnel were on scene for nearly seven hours. Yes for law enforcement it is their job to protect the citizens of Worland. But they still have time away from family, as did the volunteers for the fire department and search and rescue who were assisting.

—With streets blocked off for several hours it disrupted the lives of those living near the school.

Making idle, false threats is not a victimless crime. There is an impact and people are affected.

If it was a prank, it wasn’t funny.

If it was meant to get out of class early, you may have gotten out of class, but not out of school. Was it really worth it?

I tried to think Thursday night what would prompt a student to write such a note, to make such a threat. I could come up with no conceivable reason why someone would want to threaten their teachers, fellow students and school administration and staff.

Whether in jest or not, it was a threat.

Authorities have identified a suspect. Charges are pending review by the Washakie County Attorney’s Office.

Per Wyoming statute, the person could be charged with making a terrorist threat, a felony, punishable by up to three years in prison.

Am I advocating prison for this young man. Perhaps that would be the only way to send a message that making threats against your fellow classmates is no laughing matter. Perhaps the next person will think twice.

But somehow, at the end of all this, while we are thankful no one was hurt, this young man who made the threats needs to realize there are consequences for his actions. It wasn’t all about him. What he did affected a lot of people.

He needs to realize it was wrong.