Primary / Secondary School, School / University Blue Springs, MO – Arson fire at high school is extinguished by sprinkler system December 17, 2015 viking210 The Blue Springs School District has contacted federal authorities after receiving four threats in the last 10 days. The district said the latest threat came Monday in an email to a teacher. It arrived hours after a break-in and arson in the Blue Springs High School activities office. “A Christmas tree was set on fire,” said Tom Phillips, the head of the police force for the Blue Springs School District. “The sprinkler system kicked on. It did what it was supposed to do, put the fire out.” He said the fire caused thousands of dollars in water damage. He also said fire extinguishers were sprayed in some parts of the building and some windows were broken. He said these incidents have not been connected to the threat that came in Monday. (It was) very generic. Doesn’t give any specifics,” said Phillips. “Doesn’t say where the threat is, where it’s at or anything like that.” In the wake of Sandy Hook and terrorism worries, schools have to take threats seriously and work to strike a balance between prudence and paranoia. Phillips, a former Jackson County sheriff, said it’s a collective decision. “I get with our administration. We get with our central office administrators,” he said. “We get with other law enforcement in the area. Are they receiving threats?” Blue Springs was one of the first school districts in Missouri to have its own police force.
