Larry Blaskey
Wick News Service
 Douglas School District Superintendent Earl Pettit, far right, discusses the precautions taken by the district, while Douglas Police Officer Marcus Gonzalez and Douglas High School Principal Bonnie Lopez look on.The high school was closed on Tuesday, while they awaited test results on a white powder delivered to the school in an envelope. |
According to reports, at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Douglas Police Department received a call from the high school. An envelope containing a white powder was opened by an admissions clerk, exposing the clerk, and possibly other office staff to the unknown substance.
The envelope was apparently hand delivered to the office (no postmark), and was addressed to a specific person at the high school. The name was not released.
The incident was further complicated when the admissions clerk was taken Southeast Arizona Medical Center by private vehicle before fire and police departments arrived. The Emergency Room waiting room was also then contaminated with the substance.
Emergency service agencies throughout the area responded to the incident at Douglas High School, and later, Southeast Arizona Medical Center.
On hand were Cochise County Sheriff’s Office, Douglas Police Department, Douglas Fire Department, Cochise County Hazmat, Cochise County Health Department Cochise County Emergency Management and Southeast Arizona Medical Center personnel.
Emergency service workers were at Douglas High School until about midnight because the area and people that may have come in contact with the envelope had to be decontaminated.
At the same time, the waiting room at the hospital also had to be decontaminated, according to Douglas Fire Chief Mario Novoa.
The high school was reopened Tuesday morning at 10:30 a.m. after getting the all clear from the state.
After the envelope containing the substance was opened, it was resealed, and transported to the Arizona Department of Health Services lab in Phoenix. At 9 a.m. Tuesday, the school was told that the “rapid screening was negative for bacteria as well as Ricin by the state lab. It is still unclear what the substance was, and Douglas Police Department spokesman Officer Marcus Gonzalez said it could take from 72 hours to two weeks to find that out.
The Cochise County Public Health Service in conjunction with the ADHS will continue to follow up.
No ill effects were noted by anyone who came in contact with the substance.
Douglas Unified School District Superintendent Earl Pettit said that the district wanted to err on the side of safety to make sure no one was hurt during this incident.
“Thankfully, because the envelope was opened well after the school day, no students or any other employees are believed to have been exposed to the unknown substance,” he said.
“The District has no information concerning the identity of the person who delivered the unpostmarked envelope to the Douglas high school office, but the District is fully cooperating with police in hopes that the perpetrator will be apprehended.”
Gonzalez said the person responsible could be charged with a number of crimes including up to and including attempted terrorism.
It is estimated that the cost to check and decontaminate the school could cost more than $250,000.
The school has received permission to push back AIMS testing one day. The tests were to begin at the high school on Tuesday. Now they will be Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, October 29 to 31.
The day of school will also have to be made up by students.
This is the second similar incident to occur in the last three days . On Monday, Ray Borane Middle School was closed when a student, suspected of carrying drugs, brought forth a pouch he claimed contained a toxic substance and made threats to the staff.
There wasn’t the same problem at the middle school because the substance was in a closed container.
School reopened Tuesday, October 28.
Comments
Cindy M. wrote on Nov 4, 2008 10:13 AM: