Online threats prompt lockdowns at multiple school districts

OVERLAND, Mo. – Multiple school districts have gone into lockdown this week after reports of online threats.

Tuesday, one juvenile who had a fully loaded gun was arrested outside a Ritenour school. The district’s superintendent, Chris Kilbride, says their area has reported two online threats within a week, directed towards Ritenour High School.

“This is not a victimless crime, and this is not a school discipline matter; this is a criminal matter. The last thing we want to do with children is involve them in negative ways with law enforcement,” Kilbride said. “But in these situations, there is absolutely no choice.”

The former student arrested is accused of posting a threat online directed towards the school. St. Ann police found the individual in the parking lot of the district’s alternative school, Husky Academy.

“The systems that we have to keep students and staff safe work. It’s just extremely unfortunate that we have to keep turning to those systems on a repeated basis—that is not healthy for students, staff, or the community,” Kilbride added.

Additionally, East St. Louis Senior High School and Cahokia High School went into lockdown following threats on social media Wednesday.

If police confirm a threat is real, Kilbride noted that students could learn virtually rather than in-person.

“The funding is never a consideration when we made a decision around students safety…we went fully virtual last Thursday at Ritenour High School based on a social media threat that was circulating. In the state of Missouri, districts can apply for an AMI plan (alternate methods of instruction), which would allow districts to shift to virtual learning as necessary,” he said.

Impacted districts have stated they are working closely with law enforcement, along with heightened security presence to ensure safety of students.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson posted a thread to X, which read, in part:

“I want to express our deepest appreciation to law enforcement and Ritenour School District staff for their quick and thorough response to prevent violence from taking place…by law enforcement doing what they are trained to do, they undoubtedly prevented a horrible situation…when we see something suspicious, we must not hesitate to report it like the brave Ritenour students.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.