KINGSTON - Police increased their presence at Sanborn Regional High School Friday morning to calm the fears of students and parents worried about safety in the wake of the Connecticut shooting and concerns over Doomsday predictions.

Principal Brian Stack said there were no credible threats against the school, but that steps were taken to provide a sense of security.

Kingston police were on hand at the start of the school day along with assistance from the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Department.

“We have a triple threat, between Sandy Hook, emotions running high the week before Christmas, and people who say it’s the end of the world. We had a lot of stuff buzzing around and rumors floating around yesterday,” Stack said.

Stack said all of the rumors were investigated with the help of police and that officials were confident that none posed a security concern.

However, the school decided to increase police presence as a precaution and Stack alerted parents of the stepped up security measure through a phone message. He said he wanted students to feel safe coming to school.

But many students still chose to stay home, with attendance down to about 65 percent.

“It’s an emotional time. It struck a chord last week and every family deals with that differently,” he said.

The high school serves students from Fremont, Kingston and Newton.

jschreiber@newstote.com