OAKLAND — A piece of rope resembling a noose found last month on a fence at Chabot Elementary School in North Oakland was not the result of an intentional act, officials said Friday.
School District Chief of Police Jeff Godown told parents at a school meeting Friday that a parent had come forward to say their child had found a long piece of rope with a loop at the end on the ground next to the fence last Aug. 20 and threw it over the fence to get it out of the way so no one would trip on it, district spokesman John Sasaki said.
Unfortunately, when the rope landed on the fence, it looked like a noose. When the principal noticed, it was taken down.
“It was a weird set of circumstances that it ended up looking like a noose,” Sasaki said. “There was no intent on the part of the person to cause any harm by throwing it over the fence…this is the evidence we have now and we think it is a legitimate explanation.”
Though some parents were relieved to hear that the rope was not intentionally placed, others aren’t buying that it was a random occurrence, Sasaki said. He said police will continue investigating the incident, and the district will look into implementing possible safety precautions.
“It’s a matter of making sure that we in the district are taking the best possible care for our students,” he said.