Shrewsbury middle schooler allegedly writes 'assassination list'

SHREWSBURY, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) – Shrewsbury school officials said they found what they are calling an "assassination list" written by a sixth grade student Thursday.

The Shrewsbury Middle School student allegedly wrote an "assassination list" that included the names of 8 students and one staff member. The letter was shared electronically with another student, who then showed the letter to one of his parents and the parent contacted the school.

School officials spoke to the student who created the list and his parents, other students, school counseling and psychology staff and a school resource police officer and ultimately determined that there was not a safety threat. The parents of all of the students on the list were also contacted, officials say. An additional five students were on a list that was untitled, and their parents were also notified.

Dr. Jane Lizotte, principal of Sherwood Middle School, sent an email to families that read in part:

"While this situation turned out to be nothing more than an immature action by a sixth grader, the Sherwood Middle School administration responded to the initial report of a concern swiftly and seriously in order to ensure the safety of the school's students and staff, and then communicated personally with those involved to provide information and reassurance. I was pleased, but not surprised, that parents contacted expressed their appreciation and confidence in the school leadership's response."

She went on to say that she is "confident that our school remains a very safe place, and we will continue to take any potentially problematic situations brought to our attention seriously and to respond using our best professional judgment."

The school has not released the name of the child.

Cox Media Group