Following a number of letters sent to Newtown High School students in recent days, the school announced Monday night, November 24, the responsible individual has been determined and measures are being taken.

According to the school the letters, which were received in the mail, contained personal information and “sexually explicit comments.”

“While nothing in any of these letters posed threats of violence to anyone, they were nonetheless disturbing in nature,” said a letter sent to parents by NHS Principal Lorrie Rodrigue.

Dr Rodrigue was made aware of the letters over the weekend, and sent a first letter to parents describing what occurred over the weekend.

“On Friday evening and into Saturday morning, several families reported that they received letters from an anonymous source that appeared to be word-processed, copied, and mailed to certain NHS students,” the first letter read. “The letter identified some basic information (such as name of student and address), requested further personal information from the student, and included explicit and inappropriate comments.”

Dr Rodrigue explained that on Saturday morning she discussed the incident with Superintendent of Schools Joseph V. Erardi, Jr, and continued discussions with the Newtown Police Department. By that point, Dr Rodrigue’s first letter explained, some parents had also filed complaints with the local authorities.

“And we continue to ask other families who came forward to do the same,” the first letter continued. “As a result, members of the Newtown Police are in the process of conducting an investigation, and we will be working collaboratively with them to determine the individual or individuals who distributed these letters. We will continue to monitor this and are asking any parent who receives a similar letter to notify the school and the Newtown Police Department.”

By Monday, Dr Rodrigue was able to report through her second communication with parents that, “Based on a full school investigation today, November 24, we were able to determine the responsible individual and deliver immediate and appropriate consequences as a result. Thanks to much of the information I received throughout the weekend, in collaboration with local authorities, school administrators were able to conduct a thorough investigation and resolve the situation in a timely manner.”

Dr Rodrigue also thanked the parents who came forward. She also said that due to “privacy rights of all students, any further details about consequences cannot be shared.  However, I wanted to emphasize that all students are safe and secure at Newtown High School.”