Bomb Rumors Sweep Trumansburg
This evening, rumors are running hot around Trumansburg that a bomb has been found on the playground.
It runs like this: So and so heard from somebody else that someone else’s uncle was listening to the police scanner, and overheard that the police had found a bomb on the playground of the Trumansburg schools.
I don’t know if it’s true. I know I haven’t heard any sirens. I know that when I’ve gone past the schools this evening, I haven’t seen any sign of any police cars there, or even anyone watching the grounds just in case.
Maybe it’s true. I’m inclined to believe that it’s not.
An article published just 4 minutes ago by News 10 Now doesn’t mention anything about a bomb on the playground.
I think our village has gotten a little bit rumor-happy in relation to this incident. We’re getting skittish, all over a slightly enhanced firecracker.
If I were a middle-school prankster, that’s exactly the reaction I’d be hoping for.
Let’s not provide this prankster with further reward. Let’s remain calm, and not see a bomb in every shadow on the ground.
Update: Over at Channel 36, they’re quoting a parent as saying “It would be nice if they set up surveillance cameras on a regular basis.”
I, for one, do not want my children learning that they need to have authorities spying on them with video cameras, even when they go to the bathroom, in order to be safe. I don’t want them learning that one child who makes an intimidating display can diminish the freedom of everyone else in our community.
This is one of the issues that came up during last nights meeting. RUMORS. I feel that the entire student body should have received a note telling parents of what was going on. Perhaps it may not have pertained to the Elementary or High Schools, but at least all parents would have been informed. One Elementary school parent said they were aware of this issue only because the child(ren) had heard it being talked about on the bus.
I know you and I will agree to disagree, but if all parents could know what is going on, perhaps it could help us reduce the escalated rumors.
Well, Louise, I really do think that you and I disagree only in terms of emphasis or degree of security implementation.
I certainly am not against the distribution of information.
At the very least, it would have been a good idea to have a statement on the web site at the time that children would have been picked up by buses saying something like, “The Trumansburg schools will be not be open today, due to unforeseen administrative issues. Further information will be available later today.”
Standing out with my son, waiting for the bus, after checking the web site twice, does make me feel a little bit like a chump. Besides, what if there had been some kind of serious danger on the school grounds – a stray bear, a rabid dog, a gas leak?
Preventing people from driving their children to school would have been helpful. I don’t know about other people’s houses, but we certainly could make the mistake of thinking that the bus just didn’t come at its usual time.
All that said, Louise, I’m really glad that you’ve come on here today and gotten in touch.
One lesson I’ve taken from this incident is that we parents ought to take extra efforts to get to know each other.
I guess I was one of the fortunate ones who had the radio on to learn there was no school (but it’s summer time and who would think that school would be closed?? but there was an incident with the past couple of years when I was one of the parents waiting for the bus thinking we missed it, and driving my kids to school, only to find out school was cancelled due to someone or someones cuttng the valve stems from some of the buses).
However I wss NOT surprised as I had the notice from the school as to what had happend the previous day. Then we have the Elementary and High School students (who unless the heard the “rumors”) did not know about the situation.
No one knew that the school was going to be closed until around 9:30 pm on Wednesday (when the water had settled) and the “fragments” of the M-80 were identified.