QUICK ACTION IN POPLAR BLUFF AVERTS TRAGEDY

Last week, a 16-year-old student at Poplar Bluff Senior High School told some other students that he was going to put a pipe bomb in the gym during an assembly. This was properly reported to school authorities who called the police. Within hours, the student who made the threat was in the custody of juvenile authorities facing stiff sanctions from school officials.

Sensitivity over school violence is at an all-time high. Schools and the communities they serve have developed any number of ways to cope with the unexpected tragedy of deadly activities inside the buildings where teachers are supposed to be teaching and students are supposed to be learning.

It is good to note that several things happened the way they should after the student talked about a pipe bomb. The students who overheard the threat took action. School officials who were told of the threat took action. Law-enforcement and juvenile officials who were called by the school took action. Finally, the school has indicated that such activity won't be tolerated.

This is the way it should work. It should never be assumed that someone else will take care of a situation like this.