Investigation of vandalism wraps up; school as usual Jan. 29
Police patrol by a MAX stop adjacent to the campus on Jan. 29. Three school resource officers were in the building in the morning to assure student safety.
Despite the acts of vandalism and a threat of violence on school property Jan. 19, Lincoln will remain open Jan. 29, with the winter semi-formal dance running as scheduled on Jan. 29.
Although it is unclear if they were linked, the Jan. 19 vandalism included blueberries smeared on a classroom wall, broken windows, and a swastika etched into a classroom door. The threat was written in plain ballpoint pen on a door in a sophomore hall bathroom stall.
In a Jan. 27 email to parents and staff, Principal Peyton Chapman offered assurance that investigation into the matter has been mostly completed, with school discipline and police support being used as needed. The threat of violence has also been deemed invalid, and “the professionals involved do NOT believe that there is a credible threat of violence,” according to the email.
However, to ensure safety and ease anxiety, Chapman said former Lincoln school resource officer Chris Kulp will join current SRO Thomas Stoffel on campus Thursday. The entirety of Chapman’s email can be found below.
Dear LHS Parents and Staff,
We have successfully completed most aspects of our investigation of the recent issues at Lincoln and we are using school discipline/police support as appropriate. School discipline is always 100% confidential so we will not be able to share any more information on that progress/ process but please trust that we always follow PPS policy and we use restorative justice principles whenever possible. At this point we do not view the threat of violence scrawled on the bathroom stall wall as credible but in an attempt to help students feel safe and supported, Lincoln’s Officer Stoffel will be joined by our former SRO Officer Kulp here at school on Thursday. We always love seeing Officer Kulp and we look forward to hosting him here on Thursday.
We are all looking forward to the end of final exams and the winter semi-formal Thursday night at Bossanova. Come join us if you’d like to chaperone. Winter Semi-Formal is always one of our favorite dances.
Again, at this point the professionals involved do NOT believe that there is a credible threat of violence towards anyone at Lincoln. I sincerely hope this reduces anxiety levels. Please thank Officer Stoffel when you see him for his extra work and attention to this investigation.
