SULLIVAN — On Thursday afternoon, November 7, two schools in Sullivan County were visited by law enforcement.

At the Robert J. Kaiser Middle School in Monticello, an altercation involving two students escalated to involve staff members.

According to the school, what started as a verbal threat with two students became physically aggressive and required the safety staff member to place a student in a holding maneuver.

The school says the incident started between the seventh and eighth periods. Threats were made to the staff as well.

“Our staff is routinely trained using the Handle With Care Behavioral Management guidelines which emphasize verbal de-escalation tactics,” said Robert J. Kaiser Middle School Principal Nick Millas.

“Unfortunately, physical holds are necessary when a student is posing an immediate threat to himself or to others. In the rare cases that a student is placed in a physical hold, our staff is taught to do so using methods that minimize the risk of injury to either the staff or student. Student and staff safety is always our top priority,” continued Millas.

The school went into a “hold in place” mode, in which students were allowed to leave their classroom if escorted by an adult.

During the altercation, a staff member called law enforcement and the Monticello Police Department, and the Sheriff's Office arrived on the scene.

According to the school, law enforcement was not involved in the restraint of any students.

Lieutenant Mark Johnstone of the Monticello Police Department said no arrests were made.

According to the school, “While the district is unable to disclose any specific disciplinary information, it is working in cooperation with law enforcement to fully investigate the incident.”

Social Media Threat

Sullivan West High School alerted parents through robocalls and their website that an anonymous social media threat was made towards the school. In response, the high school went on lockout for several hours and canceled all afternoon activities on November 7.

During a lockout, no one can enter or leave the high school, and according to the school, “All students and staff are safe, and instruction is continuing as normal.”

The School Resource Officer was activated, and additional law enforcement was called to the school out of an abundance of caution.

After several hours, the school stated that based on reports from law enforcement that the social media threat was “not credible.”

In a statement after the lockout was lifted, the school said, “We would like to thank the local law enforcement community for their swift response, the faculty and staff at the High School for their professionalism and our students for their continued focus on learning today.”