"The results were that it was pancake batter," ARHS House Administrator Bill Wehrli said of the white powder, found in an envelope in the second-floor boys' bathroom. The envelope, which read "open me," was discovered by a student that Tuesday afternoon and given to an administrator. The school was closed for the 48-hour period it took for the lab results to develop.
"It is a police matter," Wehrli said of how the school will approach the prank. School Superintendent Sayer added, however, that both criminal and school disciplinary action may be taken. "This is not something one can do in our community or any community and just go back to normal," he said.
"It was Bisquick," said Sergeant Ron Young of Amherst Town Police. "We can find out who left the envelope behind and seek prosecution." Young added that the police department can use physical evidence, such as finger-prints and witnesses, to discover who left the envelope taped to a stall in the boys' bathroom.
"We don't know who did it," said Gus Sayer. "It clearly was a prank, and it does have all the earmarkings of a student prank." But Sayer added that it is impossible to be certain that a student was responsible. "It will be treated with the utmost seriousness," he said.
"It has huge impact-losing two and a half days of teaching," said Wehrli, adding that the days will be made up at the end of the school year. "The students are upset by someone disrupting school like that."
Professor of English Kim Townsend's son is a senior at ARHS. "It was an annoyance, but our boy had no complaints," Townsend said. "There'd been scares before, everyone assumed it was a hoax, he got to sleep in, his European history test was put off until Monday. I guess the school had to act as it did, though two and a half days seemed a bit more than enough time to recognize Bisquick."
Dean of Students Ben Lieber's son is also a senior at the high school. Lieber reflected on the possible overreaction of school authorities. "My feeling is that Osama bin Laden and his minions have finally located the soft underbelly of America, and it happens to be the second floor boys' bathroom of Amherst High. The telltale sign was that the words 'Open Me!' on the envelope were written in English instead of Arabic, an instance of just how clever the terrorists are. I myself have suggested to my son that he exercise restraint in terms of his bodily functions in school for the foreseeable future, or at least that he try to use the girls' room when no one is looking," Lieber said.