NASHUA -- All public schools in Nashua are closed Monday because of a threat of violence made to both city high schools, according to police.“We are really working from the perspective of caution,” Superintendent Mark Conrad told the New Hampshire Union Leader Sunday evening. All after-school events have also been canceled.Nashua police said they received notification from the school district about a specific threat of violence directed towards both Nashua public high schools, police said in a statement issued about 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.According to the release, city police are working with the Nashua School District administration and several state and federal law enforcement agencies to determine the credibility of the threat.“At this time, the investigation remains open and ongoing,” said police.Conrad apologized to parents for the inconvenience, stressing that “safety must remain our first priority.” He expects school to be back in session on Tuesday.Kimberly Kleiner, a member of the Nashua Board of Education, said she has complete faith in the Nashua police force, and is confident they are taking the threat seriously and will solve the matter promptly.“I am a parent -- my daughter is a junior -- and like most parents, this is scary. “The Nashua Police Department is doing a great job -- they are working very hard to determine as much as they can.”Since police could not rule out that the threat was credible, Conrad said it was best to err on the side of caution and be able to reassure parents that their children are safe. The FBI is assisting in the investigation, according to a release from the governor.“We have received a detailed threat of violence to harm students and staff at both high schools,” Conrad said in a statement, adding the threat was targeted for Monday. “Because the threat is specific and extends to several schools, we will be cautious and close all of our public schools in Nashua (on Monday).”He explained that a school administrator received the threat, describing the level of detail in the threat as “especially concerning.”Automatic calls were being made to parents of the school district Sunday evening, notifying them of the threat and the cancellation. Unfortunately, this is the world we live in,” Kleiner said on Sunday night. There will be 12,000 Nashua students not in the classroom on Monday, she explained.“We don't want mass hysteria, and we don't want parents to feel uncomfortable,” said Kleiner. "Public safety is any government's most important responsibility -- especially at our schools -- and we are closely monitoring the situation in Nashua. I have been in contact with Mayor (Donnalee) Lozeau and the emergency operations center, and the State Police and state emergency management officials are working closely with the Nashua Police Department, local public safety officials and the FBI," Governor Maggie Hassan said in a statement. We will continue to monitor the situation and work together at the state, local and federal levels to investigate the threat and keep our communities safe," said Gov.
– All public schools in Nashua, NH, will be closed Monday after what Superintendent Mark Conrad describes as a "detailed threat of violence to harm students and staff" at both of the city's high schools. The school district made 14,000 automated phone calls Sunday evening to inform parents of the closure, WMUR reports. "I regret any difficulties this creates for working parents but safety must remain our first priority," Conrad, who expects schools to reopen on Tuesday, said in a statement. Gov. Maggie Hassan says state officials are working closely with Nashua police and the FBI, per WMUR. "We are really working from the perspective of caution," the superintendent tells the New Hampshire Union Leader, adding that police are doing a "great job" in trying to determine where the threat came from and whether it's credible. He says the amount of detail in the threat, which was received by a school administrator, is "especially concerning." It's not clear whether the New Hampshire threat is linked to those that were received by school districts across the country and shut down all Los Angeles-area schools for a day last week. Those threats have been traced to an email service that doesn't keep any information on users.