Today ? June 6, 2006 ? is a day some believe represents the symbol of evil.
And several local jurisdictions plan to increase police patrols at high schools as rumors of Columbine-style attacks fly across the Internet.
Rumors of a mass killing planned for today at Liberty High School in Eldersburg began three weeks ago, resulting in a police presence in each of Carroll County?s seven high schools, said Superintendent Charles Ecker.
“We?ve taken every rumor, every accusation, every allegation seriously,”he said. “We have our teachers and administrators on the lookout for anything no matter how trivial.”
Liberty Principal Florence Oliver said the rumors are baseless, but the school recently suspended a juvenile male student at Liberty for 10 days for saying he was going to bring a gun to school on June 6.
“He made the statement more than once,” she said. “Serious threats of violence call for a 10-day suspension.”
Oliver said she has allowed any students concerned about the incident to stay home today and already a few parents have said they don?t want their children to attend.
Anne Arundel County police officers said they plan to heighten patrols of local high schools, while Baltimore County said it?s aware of the threats and will monitor them.
Howard County said its school resource officers have not heard the same threats and plan for business as usual.
Carroll school officials said the specter of the 1999 killings at Columbine High School in Colorado carried out by two outcast students have made them take any rumors of violence among students more seriously.
“Somebody says, ?I?m going to shoot
somebody? 10 years ago, we wouldn?t have thought about it,” Ecker said.
Rumors about the date June 6, 2006, marking a day of evil and mass killings have spread throughout the U.S., according to news reports. The number 666 is said to be the number of the Antichrist written of in the biblical book of Revelation.
As far west as California and as far north as Rhode Island, school and police authorities have cited rumors about attacks planned for today.
“This is not in particular to this school,” Oliver said. “This is a national thing. Truly it?s happening across the country.”
