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School officials at Enderly Heights Elementary School determined there was no active threat to students after a notebook containing a list of students under the heading “Death Note” was found in a classroom last Monday, Feb. 20.
The notebook was found by another student who turned it into a teacher, not knowing the list was inside it, EHES Principal Devan Nicely told The News-Gazette in an email.
The teacher looked through the notebook, saw the list and immediately turned it over to Nicely, who was in the classroom at the time. The student the notebook belonged to was not in school at the time the notebook was found, he added.
In a Facebook post about the incident, Nicely said that the parents of the students whose names were on the list were notified immediately, as was the school resource officer, and that “the threat assessment protocol was implemented, and disciplinary action was taken based on the Code of Conduct.”
“We feel that our students and staff are safe,” the post concluded. “The safety and wellbeing of our students and staff is our top priority at Enderly Heights and Buena Vista City Schools, and we take this responsibility very seriously.”
What significance the words “Death Note” may have had in this situation is unknown.
The words “Death Note” is a title of a Japanese comic series and an animated television series, as well as a 2017 Netflix film, in which the main character finds a notebook that has the power to kill anyone whose name is written in it.
Nicely said, however, that the student who owned the notebook did not indicate any connection between the title and the series during interviews.
“We have no way of knowing the reason for the title or any connection it may have,” he added.
