Shooting Threat Evacuates Upper West Side School, Police Say

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — An Upper West Side private school was evacuated Monday morning after a shooting threat was discovered written in a bathroom, an NYPD spokesman said.

A messages stating "shooting today at 12:45" was found around 11:30 a.m. inside a girl's bathroom at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School on West 93rd Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West, police said.

The school called police to the scene and students were evacuated from the school as a precaution, police said. The NYPD is investigating the threat, police said. School officials told the New York Post that the early closure was a precaution and the school is expected to return to normal by Tuesday.

"We had a security threat that we did not think was authentic, but given the times and what’s happening in the world, we handled it with caution," school head William Donohue told the Post. "Fortunately, we practice these things and felt pretty well-prepared."

Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School serves students from Pre-K through the 12th Grade, according to its website. President Donald Trump's son Barron was a student at the school before moving to Washington D.C. after the 2016 election.

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