RAYNE, LA – Law enforcement have a Rayne school on lock-down today, after it received an anonymous phone call threatening the establishment with “high-quality education”.
The call was received by staff at the Charles DeGravelles Elementary School at approximately 11:44am, from what is believed to be a man or a group of men calling themselves ‘Professors from a Northern state’. Staff and students have been told to “go home where it’s safe” and have been advised to keep all doors and windows securely shut.
Officer Paul Lindberg from the Rayne Police Department confirmed that the threat is ‘very credible’, and advises residents to remain calm until the situation is under control.
“We can confirm that a serious threat was called into the school this morning, and the building has been fully evacuated” he said. “The men in question made a call offering to visit the school to provide the area with a “high-quality education like you get up here in the North”. Obviously this is not a threat we are taking lightly, and have brought in specialists to help us with this incident.”
School Principal Yvette Dennis said that the call came as a “complete shock”, and one that will be forever etched into her memory.
“I was the one who took the call” she said, visibly shaken, “And I’d never felt so afraid. Hearing those threats… it’s not something you can forget. He said he was willing to send highly-skilled educators from the North. He said he would give our children an education that would put them on par with the rest of the U.S. He said he could make all of our kids intelligent. It was just a traumatic few moments.”
The school remains closed, and an investigation is ongoing.
