Community Stands Strong After Bomb Threat

WEST FORK, Ark.- It’s 9:45 am on Nov. 19th, and Pastor Heath Clower is about to begin his Tuesday morning meeting when the number for West Fork Middle School pops up on his phone. Excusing himself from the meeting, Clower answers wondering if everything is alright with his son. After clicking the green button, a woman’s automated voice comes on informing the father that his son's school has been issued a bomb threat and they are evacuating all of the children to the high school. Walking back to the conference room, Clower and his colleagues clasped hands in prayer for the young children’s safety.

What seemed like a mundane Tuesday for Clower and his family, turned out to be a hectic morning for everyone involved. The 347 children made the trip across the parking lot to the high school gymnasium, wondering when they would be able to go back to school. As the chatter amongst the students filled the gym, some parents scrambled to make arrangements in order to pick up their children. But not the Clower family; their trust in the police department and the school is the reason they left their son in the care of the administration.

“I feel like they [police] do a great job. And if they feel they can’t do it themselves, they will get extra help from the sheriffs in the county,” Clower said.

West Fork is a small town, with an estimated population of 2,635 people. In a town so small, there are only 3 full-time police officers. Because of the small number of officers in the town, resource officers have been placed in the schools to help. There are also several people in the town and schools that volunteer at the police station. When situations like the bomb threat arise, the town has a relationship with the university and Fayetteville police in order to help supply the town with more officers in order to assess the situation better and provide extra help if need be. In this case, that is what happened, by the University of Arkansas sending in their bomb sweeping canine unit.

Although there is an immense amount of trust and respect for the officers on duty, the fear of not knowing if the threat is real or not causes stress, especially for those in charge of the children. High school athletic director, Rodney Selph, knows what that responsibility feels like.

“AD, teacher, administrator, your immediate concern is to make sure the kids feel protected. It is a kids' first mentality. It’s not about me, it’s about them,” Selph said.

Selph has been a part of the school administration for 26 years and is now in his 4th year as the athletic director. This isn’t the first bomb threat that he has encountered at the school. With the growing number of shootings and threats happening in the country, the threats are taken very seriously.

“No one ever thinks that’ll happen to us. We’re a small town in Arkansas. You have to take it seriously whether you think the situation is real or not. We have to assume that that is happening and take the proper steps to make sure everyone is safe,” Selph said. “Our administration and police did a great job making sure we were safe. With all the stuff going on, you just never know. We take it all as if it’s real.”

Parents give credit to the administration for being fast and accurate when a high-stress situation takes place. The school has invested in a system that sends out automated phone calls and text messages that inform the parents of what is happening at the school and the plan of action that is taking place to make sure that the children are safe.

“They [parents] get a call immediately when something happens, and a description of what is happening,” Clower explained. He and many parents are pleased to learn about the extensive measures the school and its administrators are taking in order to provide safety for the children in those times. “They are concerned with food, restrooms, and comfort and they are just trying to be aware and prepared as possible.”

Selph also gives credit back to the parents for them remaining calm and trusting in the process and plan the school had in place. “Parents were very good about letting the authorities do their job,” Selph said.

“I don’t know if there is anything that can make a threat go away,” Clower said. “I think there will always be someone who wants to make a threat, whether it’s a prank or someone who wants to scare kids, but I think being prepared for these events elevates the fear that comes with it.”

Police were informed by the superintended, John Karnes, that the threat was written on one of the girl’s bathroom stalls of the middle school. No one has been identified, but it raises questions on what the motive could be. It also forces schools to look at the changes middle school students go through and mental health.

As threats and initiation of violence increases in our country, it’s hard to imagine that it could happen in your own hometown, but trust in the authorities and strong faith in the community is what seems to keep this town together.