By HEATHER CLARK
Special to the Gazette
Jake Gotta was sitting in his seventh period class at P.J. Jacobs Junior High School when the announcement came.
Another bomb threat hit the school, written in a girls bathroom. All after school activities - athletic events, practices, the school dance on Friday - were canceled.
"Aw man," he said, shuffling in his seat and mumbling "not again" along with the other students. Murmurs of disappointment rippled through other classrooms as well.
It was Monday, and the second time this school year, the third in two years, P.J. Jacobs received a bomb threat and after school activities were shut down.
"Activities have been canceled this week and we are offering a $1,000 reward," Superintendent Emery Babcock told the Stevens Point Area Public School District Board Monday night. "Unfortunately, this took place on the top floor where we don't have any cameras. There has been talk about getting some."
The statement on the third floor girl's bathroom read "Bomb Friday after school 3:15."
For Gotta, an eighth-grader, the graffiti translated to no track practice even though the school's first meet was today in Wisconsin Rapids.
"It's a big meet and now it's kind of wrecked," he said. "It's irritating. It's going to hurt our season."
All week, administration has been checking Monday's hall passes and calling students down to the office to try to key in on suspects. Along with canceled school activities, the building is under complete lockdown after school; once someone leaves the building, that person is not allowed back in.
Police and staff have been directing searches throughout the building. Lines of students waiting to have backpacks checked before they enter school have stretched out to the parking lot. And all entrances with the exception of that at the parking lot and near the bike racks have been locked. While school is in session, the bike rack entrance is locked also.
It all has students more irked than worried, scared or even feeling safer.
"It's probably just a prank and they want attention," said seventh-grader Carey Mullenberg. "People are getting mad. The first one people took seriously, and then nothing happened. You know nothing's going to happen with this one. Everyone's gone at 3:15 so there'd be no point."
Eighth-grader Tyler Johnson, who's had his baseball practice modified because of the threat, echoed those sentiments.
"People say it's going to happen and it's never going to happen," he said. "I'm kind of mad… They have to take precautions, but they shouldn't cancel everything after school. If something was going to happen it'd be during school."
The students understand that school and law enforcement officials have to act on the threats, but they say the tightened security measures are a little extreme. Some suggested that after school activities go on as scheduled with increased security then.
"They're doing everything they can," seventh-grader Kevin King said. "They're taking everything seriously, but it's getting to be too much… It's probably someone who doesn't want to go to the dance and wants to ruin it for everyone else."
Eighth-grader Maria Davis also is upset. She and her friends were really looking forward to the dance, which some Student Council members (the dance was sponsored by that group) said would not be rescheduled. Another dance, sponsored by a peer group, is set in May.
"It was a formal, dress-up dance and we were excited," she said. "I couldn't believe it. The police have to do what they can do… (but) one kid is screwing it up for everybody. It's so pointless to do. They're not getting anywhere."
Students are comfortable with the amount of security the building presently has. There are surveillance cameras located throughout the school building, near bathrooms and at hallway junctions to name a couple of areas. School district officials are looking into purchasing cameras for the top floor.
There also is a police liaison officer in the building. Doors are locked, and visitors are required to check in at the main office and wear a "visitor" tag. Students cannot be in the corridors for any reason during class time unless they have a hallway pass, which is checked by staff.
While students say it would be easy to act in a violent or threatening way - whether scrawling bomb threats across walls or pulling a knife on someone - they say it doesn't make sense to do.
"They'd get caught eventually," Mullenberg said.
"There's always a place you can see," Johnson added. "People are always looking, and you'd look suspicious going into the bathroom with a bag or something. It's getting old."