Boy, 13, arrested for threat at school

A student in Oak Harbor was arrested last week for allegedly making a threat.

On March 15, a 13-year-old North Whidbey Middle School student told a friend during school that he was “going to bomb the band room,” and then asked her if she knew how to make a bomb, according to the police report on the incident.

The student who reported the threat said she was nervous because the boy had been acting angry all week.

A police officer spoke with the boy, who admitted saying that he wished he could blow up the band room, the officer wrote. The boy said he was in choir and that the band and choir students were in a feud.

The officer arrested the boy. A judge found there was probable cause to believe he committed the crime of intimidating a student or teacher. He was released to his family.

Principal Bill Weinsheimer sent an alert to parents about the incident.

“I want to take this opportunity to remind everyone that Oak Harbor Public Schools has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to serious threats on our campuses,” he wrote. “In addition to any criminal charges, students who make threats towards the school are subject to disciplinary action according to school district policies and state law.”

The incident follows a series of threats allegedly made by students at Oak Harbor High School.

About three weeks ago, a 15-year-old student allegedly made a “hit list” with the names of other students. The student also had a knife in his backpack, according to court documents.

Earlier that week, a student threatened to shoot a teacher.

Two other cases occurred earlier in February. In one case, a student was accused of bringing a BB gun to school. In the other, a student allegedly made a threat against the school involving an image of an AR-15 rifle on Instagram.

Police said they don’t believe that any of the students intended to carry out the threats, but police and school officials say they must take them all seriously.