Dozens of KC metro schools, police investigating school shooting threats

KANSAS CITY, Mo, — Multiple school districts across the metro are working with police to investigate potential school threats.

School officials at Kansas City Kansas Public Schools said they were made aware of a potential bomb threat that came through social media.

KCKPS told FOX4, “KCKPS police department is working closely with the Kansas City Kansas Police Department, and they have provided additional information concerning the social media posts that have been received. As a precautionary measure, there will be increased police presence and support over the next few days to ensure the safety of everyone at Eisenhower.”

The Blue Springs Police Department arrested a juvenile in connection with a potential school shooting threat toward Blue Springs High School.

BSPD officers say students reported the suspicious Snapchat message Sunday afternoon.

“There’s a photograph with what appeared to be firearms, and it made kind of a veiled threat about, just a potential for violence,” said Blue Springs Police Captain Kyle Flowers.

Flowers said social media helped them track down the juvenile suspect.

“We contacted one of the juveniles who had received the messages, and they were able to give us an account name. We were able to track it on other social media and confirm who this juvenile was,” Flowers explained.

BSPD officers stressed the importance of students reporting any kind of threatening message or behavior

“We take all this very seriously. Whether it’s a joke or true intent, we handle them the same way,” Flowers said. “I do want to point out that it’s very important that when these messages are received, that these juveniles reach out and tell somebody, tell a parent, call the police, because without them contacting us, we wouldn’t have been made aware of these threats.”

On Sept. 17, a free presentation and training on school shootings and safety will be held at the KU Edwards campus in Overland Park.

The meeting is open to the public.

“The focus is on how do we keep our students safer. It really is a collaboration of the police, the schools, the public, the students and the families,” Susan Whitford, the criminal justice program director at KU’s Edwards Campus said. “We all have to be working to reduce or eliminate these threats to our students and schools.”

Whitford says it’s not uncommon for school threats to start circulating following a school shooting.

“So when we see one happen anywhere in the nation, and it gets that media attention that it always creates, there is always this, unfortunately, the ripple effect that occurs of both somewhat serious, maybe even serious threats,” Whitford explained. “Seeing someone else do it sometimes will unduly give courage to someone that has been thinking about it, which means we’ve got to take every threat seriously as if it is going to happen and investigate quickly.”

For more information about the upcoming school safety training, click here .

Lee’s Summit Schools also sent the following note to parents Monday regarding a social media post that raised concerns:

“Safety and security are top priorities in the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District.

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.

I appreciate your continued support of a safe learning environment for our students. We will communicate additional information as necessary.”

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