In Woodbury, St. Francis, other districts, school threats investigated
February 24, 2018 by admin
Filed under Choosing Lingerie
Woodbury police and South Washington County Schools are investigating a shooting threat made on social media against East Ridge High School on Friday, adding to the number of Minnesota school districts that have responded to alleged threats this week.
There have been no arrests and there is no danger posed to students, Woodbury district spokeswoman Cassondra Knudson said. School staffers told students and parents about the threat, which was not described in detail.
“Any kind of threat, especially after what happened in Florida, we’re going to take very seriously,” Knudson said.
It was the second investigation of alarming social media posts involving East Ridge High School this week. On Tuesday, officials investigated an Instagram post made by a student that referenced school shootings.
The Woodbury instances are just two among a string of reported threats to schools and references to shootings made across the Twin Cities.
Earlier Friday, police in St. Francis arrested a 17-year-old student in connection with a threat that led to school closings.
Map: School has been canceled Friday in the St. Francis Public School District, where police are investigating a threat made by a secondary-school student.
“This was a verbal threat that was taken seriously by law enforcement and St. Francis area schools. … At this time there are no other known threats toward any St. Francis area schools,” St. Francis police said in a news release.
Earlier in the day, the school said on its website, “To ensure safety of all our students and staff, the decision was made to cancel school for today. … All buildings will be closed and staff are directed to stay home.”
Early childhood programs, community education classes and all after-school and evening activities also were canceled, the district said.
The notice did not specify the nature of the threat, but police has identified the student who made it is believed to have targeted the Crossroads School, a school for students with special needs.
It was the second threat this week in St. Francis, a district of about 4,800 students in northern Anoka County. On Feb. 15, the district investigated an alleged threat made by a St. Francis High School student. Police determined the threat was not credible, but extra police were sent to the school on Feb. 16.
A bevy of threats
Friday’s closure in St. Francis came a day after a juvenile student in Orono was charged with making threats on social media. The threat forced buildings in the west metro district to go on lockdown Wednesday.
In Aitkin County, schools in Hill City closed Thursday because of a threat circulating on social media. Two girls, ages 15 and 13, were arrested Thursday afternoon on suspicion of having made terroristic threats, according to the Sheriff’s Office, which added that there was no known plan to carry out the acts. Both girls remain in juvenile detention.
Four other Minnesota schools reported this week that possible threats had been investigated.
In Orono, schools were closed Wednesday after a threat to shoot students appeared on social media. A 17-year-old male student has been arrested and charged in that case.
The Prior Lake School District said it and police investigated Thursday after hearing of concerns about comments made by a student at Hidden Oaks Middle School. The student was arrested in connection with alleged threats toward other students. Authorities declined to release further details.
In Richfield, police and school officials said they were investigating “a school safety concern,” adding, “While we have not been able to substantiate the rumor or gather any additional information to consider this a credible rumor, we have taken extra precaution. … Please know that we take safety and security very seriously, which is additionally why teachers are allowed to lock doors during instruction.”
In Blaine, police received several reports of a threat people had seen on social media referencing “bhs.”
“The information received was a screen shot that appeared to be from Instagram,” police said in a news release Thursday. An investigation revealed that the screen shot was taken from a news story in Belen, N.M., and had no relation to Blaine or its schools.
