Officials identify 2 people responsible for Bowsher HS threats in separate incidents

On Mar 25, 2022

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – Bowsher High School went on lockdown three days in a row this week after a series of threats and officials have identified two people responsible.

According to a Toledo Public Schools spokesperson, anonymous callers in separate incidents made threats to shoot up the school on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The district said the threats were not credible.

In a statement to 13abc, TPS said school officials and Toledo Police believe a Bowsher student is responsible for two of the bogus phone threats. The student is now facing criminal charges and will be expelled. 13abc does not name minors accused of crimes.

In a separate incident, according to police documents, one man was taken into police custody on Thursday for making threats to shoot up the school. Raymond Weathers, 59, allegedly called in the threats after a school resource officer arrested his daughter for disorderly conduct and other charges. Weathers’ threat prompted Bowsher’s third lockdown of the week on Thursday. Police documents said Weathers was taken into custody but charges are pending further investigation.

The district uses a multi-level approach to dealing with threats. The TPS Chief of Security, Diana Ruiz-Krause, said the district can’t take a chance of putting anyone at risk, so they put the school on lockdown while they investigate.

Administrators have had enough and are considering also holding parents and guardians responsible for students who make threats against schools. Police say a lot of man hours go into handling these kind of of incidents.

Officials have floated the idea of making parents reimburse school districts for the resources that go into assuring school safety.

TPS released a statement on the lockdowns on Friday. You can read it in full below.

Officers from the Toledo Public Schools Department of Public Safety and Toledo Police have been investigating anonymous threatening calls made to Bowsher High School. Toledo Police have questioned a Bowsher student who they believe is responsible for several of those calls. That student will be expelled from school and now faces criminal charges. It’s unclear at this time exactly what charges the student involved is facing.

Toledo Public Schools has zero tolerance and will take legal action against anyone who is found to have made a threat toward a school, student or staff member. The district will make sure anyone found to have made those threats is prosecuted to the full extent of the law, including pursuing any civil penalties that are available to TPS.

These types of incidents, unfortunately, force a school to go on lockdown, which then interrupts the educational process and causes unnecessary anxiety for students, staff members, and parents and guardians.

In addition to a student or students facing disciplinary action and prosecution, parents or guardians could be held liable in these cases and forced to pay restitution to the district if unnecessary costs are incurred because additional safety measures are needed.

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