Parents Ask About Threat Procedures

When Rob Baumgarten acknowledged he was the parent who called law enforcement to report the shooting threat to Clinton Middle School, the audience at last week’s forum stood and applauded for well over a minute.

Baumgarten, the father of two students, said he overheard one of his daughters on a phone call in the late evening the Saturday before students returned from Spring break.

Baumgarten was the second to last person to speak during last week’s Clinton Central School forum regarding the credible plan by three CCS Middle School students for a mass shooting.

The three students face criminal charges and are expelled from CCS. Baumgarten began his comments by saying he was grateful Clinton had not become a Columbine or Sandy Hook.

Then he said, “I’m the parent who called 911.’’

As people applauded he bowed his head and then said thank you. Baumgarten said he heard his daughter say, “you’re not gonna shoot up the school, are you?’’ on a phone conversation.

He spoke to his daughter about what that was about.

He then called 911, saying there was no way he could just go to sleep knowing there was a possibility this was serious.

After his call the Oneida County Sheriff’s Department went to the homes of the teens early Sunday morning.

They deemed the threat a serious one with the teens intending to instigate the shooting the following Friday.

Along with the criminal charges, the two girls were admitted for mental health evaluations.

The boy was released to a guardian.

CCS Superintendent Chris Clancy and Sheriff Rob Maciol said the next day without that parent’s notification the situation could have resulted in much worse.

The forum allowed people to ask questions and make ...