ORONO, Maine — Orono schools were closed Tuesday amid what school officials are calling a security threat.
A Facebook post for RSU 26, which includes Asa C Adams Elementary, Orono Middle School, and Orono High School, noted that the school was working with law enforcement to "assess the threat and determine the next steps," the post stated.
Comments within the post indicate that AP tests that were scheduled for today would be rescheduled and that more information on that would be made available at a later time.
"Right now, we don't have a lot of confidence in the threat that was made," Geoff Low, director of public safety for Orono, told NEWS CENTER Maine. "There's no immediate threat we see to the public. The University of Maine isn't in danger. We think it's just unfortunately one of those threats that seems to be going around the schools lately."
The Orono Police Department said in a news release posted on Facebook that they received a "non-specific threat toward the schools," and due to the timing of the threat, the decision was made to cancel school out of an "abundance of caution to ensure the safety of students and staff."
No threats were made at the nearby University of Maine flagship campus, UMaine Police Department dispatcher Shawn Gaynor told NEWS CENTER Maine.
At about 3 p.m. Tuesday, Superintendent Meredith Higgins issued a statement on the district's Facebook page.
"Last night, we received a general threat of violence to one of our schools," she wrote. "After we were made aware of the threat, we immediately contacted local law enforcement and worked with them to address the situation. Unfortunately, we were unable to obtain enough information by this morning to feel comfortable opening RSU 26 schools. As such, we made the decision to close all district schools."
Higgins wrote that classes would resume as normal Wednesday, May 10.
"Our staff will be ready to support students tomorrow as they return to school," she said, also thanking local law enforcement for their support.
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