Kansas

Multiple Kansas City metro school districts investigate threats of violence

Published

4 hours ago

September 10, 2024

Press Room

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A screenshot of a social media post grabbed the attention of multiple school districts in the Kansas City area Monday morning.

Districts said parents also saw the post that was forwarded, and were rightfully concerned about the vague threat of a school shooting. The post threatened violence at schools located in five school districts.

The school districts said they worked with police to make sure students were safe at schools.

Each district also emailed families to communicate and let them know what was happening.

BLUE SPRINGS

The Blue Springs Police Department said one person is in custody accused of using Snapchat to make threats toward Blue Springs High School Sunday.

An undated photo shows Blue Springs High School in Blue Springs, Missouri.(KCTV5)

Blue Springs High School Principal, Tom Alderman, sent a letter to families making them aware of the incident.

Dear BSHS Families:
Today, the Blue Springs Police Department and BSSD Department of Public Safety became aware of an inappropriate Snapchat story that involved a possible threat to our school. The cooperating law enforcement agencies and school administrators swiftly began an investigation. Within a couple of hours, the individual responsible was identified and located. The individual is now in police custody, and the appropriate legal and disciplinary action will follow.
I want to remind you to talk to your student about the seriousness of making a threat. Threats are not tolerated, even if intended as a joke. Students cannot say, write, post, or draw anything that might be considered a threat. You and your student need to know that the consequences for making a threat are significant and can result in expulsion from the Blue Springs School District.
Thank you to those who came forward and shared the information with us. It takes all of us to keep our school safe. Please inform a staff member if you or your student become aware of any possible threats to our school.
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According to the email, the person will face appropriate legal and disciplinary action.

GRAIN VALLEY

Schools in the Grain Valley School District were also included in the vague threat on social media.

A public information officer for the Grain Valley Police Department posted information about it investigation into the threat on Facebook.

School Board Members are also talking about the threat of violence against students and staff members.

The assistant superintendent said they take every threat seriously and that is why parents and students may see police on school property.

We want to take a moment to address a recent social media post, including a vague threat that has been circulating, mentioning several school districts across the Kansas City metro area, including both Grain Valley middle schools and Grain Valley high school.
We understand that this post may have raised concerns within our community, and we want to assure you that your students safety is our top priority. Out of an abundance of caution, police presence is active at each identified location. This security is part of our ongoing commitment to maintaining a safe and secure learning environment for all students and staff.
While we have not identified any specific threat to our schools, we are remaining vigilant and proactive. We will continue to work closely with local law enforcement and take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our school community.
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Please be assured that we are monitoring the situation closely, and will keep you informed of any further developments.
Thank you for your understanding and support as we work together to keep our schools safe.

RAYTOWN

The Raytown School District says it is also taking the threats seriously, even though, after investigating, the district said it doesn’t believe the threat is credible.

Raytown Quality Schools emailed families about it’s plan to handle the threat earlier Monday.

Dear Raytown Quality Schools Students, Staff and Families:
This message addresses threats, circulating across the state and country, made against schools in the district. We received notification of threats posted on social media sites, as well as through our Courage to Report line and state police, identifying multiple neighboring school districts, including Raytown Quality Schools. After the initial and ongoing investigation, we do not believe the threat is credible.
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Any threat of school violence is serious. We will remain vigilant and are taking proactive steps, with the implementation of school safety plans, availability of staff to support students, and increased law enforcement presence including Raytown Police Department, Kansas City Police Department and RQS security on campus.
The district encourages parents to discuss the importance of safety and reporting concerns with their children. In the event of a social media threat, we ask that this information is not forwarded or reposted, but instead take a screenshot and provide it to our school administrators or district office staff. Reposting information makes it difficult to identify the source of the threat and hinders the investigation. The information you provide is held in confidence. The Courage to Report line is another resource available. When reported, information is communicated to the school district and law enforcement.
Unfortunately, following school shootings, there is typically a rise in copycat threats across the country. Threats posted as a “joke” or replicating these incidents are disruptive to schools, and will be addressed in accordance with the student code of conduct and with criminal law. We encourage you to monitor your student’s social media and check their backpacks.
I am grateful and appreciative of everyone in our community for your partnership and support of this important endeavor of school safety. Thank you to all those who reported the threat. Let’s continue to remain vigilant and partner together to ensure our children receive the education they deserve.
In conclusion, I would like to offer condolences to Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia where the latest school shooting occurred. Matters like this are tragic and very difficult to cope with for their community and communities across the country.
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Sincerely,
Dr. Penelope Martin-Knox, Superintendent

The school district asks families to talk to their students about the seriousness of making threats like these, and the consequences.

Raytown School District increased the rate of pay for teachers based on their experience and when they continue their own education.(KCTV)

They also ask families to talk about the importance of notifying authorities when a threat is made, and not sharing them on social media.

LEE’S SUMMIT

The Lee’s Summit School District said it is also aware of the threat that included schools in its district.

The district said the threat was investigated, and at this point, doesn’t have any information that it is a credible threat.

Like other districts, Lee’s Summit said it takes every threat seriously and safety and security are top priorities.

The school district emailed the following information to families earlier Monday.

We are writing to make you aware of precautions we took today in response to a social media post that contains a vague reference to Missouri school shootings at five school districts in the KC-metro. The post is nondescript but appears to list schools throughout the metro in these districts. Our building is one of four LSR7 buildings included.
The school district and the police department have not received any information indicating a credible threat to our school community. Our police partners have also let us know that it is not uncommon for posts spreading fear and misinformation to circulate across the country following school shootings.
However, out of an abundance of caution, we are keeping in close contact with the LSPD today and have requested LSPD presence at each of the buildings listed in the post.
Although we do not have any information that corroborates this post, we wanted to make sure you are aware of the situation and assure you that we take all types of threats seriously in partnership with our police department.
We also continue to strongly encourage students and others to “say something when you see something.” By doing so, we create a safer school, school district and community. Please help us in keeping everyone safe and let the proper authorities know any time you have any information related to the safety of our school community.
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I appreciate your continued support of a safe learning environment for our students. We will communicate additional information as necessary.

Anyone who has information about any of the threats, or who sent the messages is asked to contact police in their city and report the information.

GRANDVIEW

The Grandview School District said it shared a statement with staff and families. That statement is below.

Recently, a social media post has come to our attention mentioning schools in our area, including our district. We take all reports seriously and have made local law enforcement aware of the situation.
While we do not have any information to confirm the credibility of this post, we want to keep you informed and assure you that we are taking the situation seriously, in close partnership with our local police department.
Out of an abundance of caution, we will not be allowing visitors into the building as law enforcement looks into the matter further. Also, there will be an additional police presence throughout our school community.
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We want to continually encourage our students and families to report anything they believe to be suspicious or a potential threat to student and staff safety.
We appreciate your understanding and support as we continue to prioritize the safety of our students and staff.

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