14 HISD school got mysterious substance

GlenRice · Oct 9, 2010

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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7238540.html

HISD says powder mailed to schools not hazardous
At least 14 campuses got mysterious substance
By MIKE GLENN
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Oct. 8, 2010, 11:23PM
.
Julio Cortez Chronicle
HISD Police Chief Jimmie Dotson said on Friday that no one had claimed responsibility for sending the powder. FBI and Postal Service officials have joined the investigation.

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See where the affected HISD schools are located Postal inspectors this weekend will examine mail destined for the Houston Independent School District after more than a dozen HISD campuses on Friday were sent envelopes containing suspicious white powder.

No injuries were reported at any of the 14 schools that received the envelopes, and preliminary tests of the substance, conducted at each school, showed it not to be dangerous, officials said.

"Everything showed to be nonhazardous," said Houston Fire Department District Chief John Douglas. The department's hazardous materials team inspected the substances.

While the powder appears harmless, the envelopes will be sent to the Houston Health Department for further testing.

"Before we identify what the substance is, we want to be able to confirm it. We're not able to do that at this time," HISD Police Chief Jimmie Dotson said Friday.

The incident began about 1:30 p.m. when staffers at Attucks Middle School and Anderson Elementary told HISD officials that they had received the envelopes.

"It was a typewritten envelope with powder — no note — addressed to the school," said Sam Sarabia, head of HISD elementary schools.

HISD officials then asked the other schools to check through their afternoon mail. Each school that received a powder-filled envelope followed the same protocol: isolate it and report the discovery, Sarabia said.

Teaspoon of powder
Each envelope contained less than a teaspoon of the powdery substance. The initial field testing indicated no signs of radiation, explosives or volatile chemicals, HFD officials said.

Some of the schools had already released their students when the envelopes were found. HISD officials said the incident, while serious, had little impact on overall operations at any of the campuses.

"The mail comes through the administrative section of the building. A student would not have any contact with the mail," Dotson said.

Parents of students in the affected schools were notified about the envelopes by a telephone alert system, officials said.

Classes will resume as scheduled on Monday.

The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating, along with HISD police. By late Friday, they had received no calls from anyone attempting to claim responsibility, officials said.

Copycats feared
"We will certainly get with the (Harris County district attorney's) office to see if there are any charges that can be filed if the person is identified," Dotson said.

Even if the incident turns out to be some kind of prank, HISD officials said they worry that it may spawn copycats.

"We're hoping that this is the end of it. We'll be prepared if it's not," Dotson said.

HISD will not receive any mail until Tuesday because of the Columbus Day holiday.

"There will be plenty of time to go through it and do the security precautions," said Marian Williams, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
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