Police: Threatening Note at Saxe May Have Been There for Several Days

Police say it isn't clear when the note that last week led to a perimeter lockdown and supervised dismissal at Saxe Middle School was placed there.

No details about the note's contents have been released as police continue to investigate. Sgt. Carol Ogrinc of the New Canaan Police Department said Monday that the note had violent overtones—"We deemed it not to be an imminent threat," she said—and that officials are seeking tips through an anonymous tip line that can be reached at 203-594-3544.

"We are unsure if the threat was placed on that day [Thursday]," Ogrinc said. "It could have been there for several days."

The discovery of the note by an adult faculty member at Saxe occured early in the afternoon on Thursday, which also was March 14—three months to the day, Dec. 14, that 20 first-graders and six educators were shot dead at a school in Newtown.

Ogrinc said that although there likely is heightened awareness and response around schools because of the Sandy Hook shooting, New Canaaan police executed the same protocol last week that they would have one year ago, including the "soft lockdown" of the school and search of its rooms, closets and other areas with bomb-sniffing dogs.

District officials communicating with parents have said in emails that police were present at school Friday as a measure of reassurance only. The district has called for understanding from parents seeking more specific information about the threat itself, as the police investigation remains active.