Additional security remained in place at all of the city’s schools when classes resumed this week, and a multi-agency investigation continues into an anonymous threat against local schools in Cranston and two neighboring communities.

“We’re going to continue to meet and monitor the situation,” Cranston Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Judith Lundsten said on Tuesday.

Local schools have been on alert since Tuesday of last week, when the Johnston Police Department received an anonymous, hand-written, one-page letter in the mail that threatened elementary schools in Cranston, Warwick and Johnston. Police have said the note included a reference to beheading and that a timeframe of Oct. 8 through Oct. 10 was provided.

Johnston authorities subsequently reached out to their Cranston and Warwick counterparts, and plans were put in place to post an officer at all schools for the duration of the week. Lundsten, Mayor Allan Fung, newly appointed Cranston Police Chief Col. Michael Winquist and other local leaders appeared jointly at Woodridge Elementary School on Oct. 8 to discuss the situation.

State and federal authorities are currently assisting local law enforcement with the investigation into the threatening letter.

Attendance figures plummeted across all three communities on Oct. 8 but did rebound as the week drew to a close. Lundsten said Cranston’s absentee figure was just under 40 percent for Oct. 8, roughly 15 percent for Oct. 9 and approximately 11 percent for Oct. 10, although she said the figure for Friday – which came before the Columbus Day holiday weekend – may be inflated due to absences unrelated to the threat.

Cranston students will not receive an unexcused absence if they were not in school on Oct. 8 but were expected to be in school the subsequent two days. Students are allowed five unexcused absences each quarter, and exceeding that figures impacts their grades.

Some parents took issue with the district’s decision on absences. Lundsten defended the move while saying she understands the concerns many have expressed.

The superintendent said the city’s response to the threat went smoothly, thanks to “the combined efforts of everyone – the city side, the school side, the parents.” She offered particular praise for the Cranston Police Department and Winquist, saying local law enforcement has “been wonderful to work with” and consistently in communication with the schools as the situation has unfolded.

“It’s very comforting to know that the whole community is behind us,” she said.

Lundsten pointed to the safety training that has been conducted for the district’s staff and the ongoing effort of administrators across the school system to reinforce safety protocols. She said she met with the district’s principals on Friday to thank them for their efforts and that additional steps will be taken to review and build upon the response to the recent threat.

“We need to continuously go back to look at our policies and procedures and look at what we can do better,” she said.

Following the threat, legislators from the three communities were prompt in calling for stiff penalties for the individual or individuals responsible. State senators from Warwick, Cranston and Johnston said they propose making it a felony for an individual to make a clear threat of physical injury against school children, punishable by a prison sentence of up to 20 years and/or a fine of up to $100,000. The legislation, which is expected to be introduced during the first week of the 2015 General Assembly session that begins in January, is being prepared by Sen. Hanna M. Gallo (D-Dist. 27, Cranston, West Warwick), Sen. Frank S. Lombardi (D-Dist. 26, Cranston), Sen. Frank Lombardo III (D-Dist. 25, Johnston), Sen. Erin P. Lynch (D-Dist. 31, Warwick, Cranston), Sen. Michael J. McCaffrey (D-Dist. 29, Warwick) and Sen. William A. Walaska (D-Dist. 30, Warwick).

The announcement by the senators followed by a day a statement by Rep. Deborah A. Fellela (D-Dist. 43, Johnston) that she would introduce similar legislation in the House of Representatives in January.

The senators said they would work with their House colleagues for quick passage and enactment of such legislation. Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed and House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello are supporting their work.