Four Mountain View Middle School students were arrested recently – three on charges of false public alarm and one for conspiracy to commit false public alarm.

The arrests took place Wednesday, April 8, after Goffstown police spent the better part of three days at the school responding to reports of various threats written on bathroom stalls and threatening text messages sent to students.

That same afternoon, Goffstown police, fire and school officials gathered students in an assembly at the middle school to remind them of the hazards of making false reports and the consequences for making false public alarm.

“We wanted to make sure our younger students felt safe coming to school. And we wanted the older students to know we were taking this seriously and they should take ownership for some of these problems,” said SAU 19 Superintendent Stacy Buckley. “We wanted them to know there would be consequences for the students who were arrested.”

According to Goffstown police Lt. Rob Browne, problems at the middle school began on Monday, April 6, when a student made a comment in the hall that there may have been an intruder in the school.

The school went into lockdown mode for 45 minutes to one hour as the school was searched and police found no credible threat.

On Tuesday, April 7, a student reported a threatening comment on a handwritten note in a bathroom stall. Police were called again, and students were evacuated to waiting buses to keep warm. Police again found no credible threat. Less than an hour later, another student reported a different threatening note on another bathroom stall.

“On Wednesday, we had a significant officer presence there before school even started,” said Browne.

According to Browne, while police were at the school on Wednesday, a student went to the office with a text message from another student, causing even more alarm.

After backtracking through text messages, police were able to find two students who started the messages and found a third who was an accomplice. While this investigation was going on, there was another report of another threatening bathroom stall note, and a fourth arrest made.

“Kids were upset these things were happening and disrupting their education,” said Buckley. “Every school has its hiccups here and there,” said Browne. “The high school had problems for some years, which caused the need for a school resource officer. That program has helped the school and police work together to combat problems before they arrive. Mountain View Middle School does not have an officer, and I think there will be some discussion about that in some years to come.”

According to Buckley, the middle school currently has a federally funded DARE program, which centers on drugs and alcohol but also focuses on how to make good choices.

“I’ve had conversations with the Police Department about having a school resource officer, and the police do have a presence (at the middle school),” said Buckley. “Not consistently, but during morning entry, lunch and recess time.”

The incidents are still under investigation, and the four students will be charged as juveniles.