LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Little Rock School District and the Little Rock Police Department each assure fast action as school districts across Arkansas are seeing a spike in social media threats.
Both agencies posted public letters on Monday confirming that school threats would be taken seriously and that there would be repercussions for making threats. The LRPD letter said two arrests occurred due to school threats in September.
Social media posts cause increased police presence at school districts in central Arkansas LRPD reports show the two arrests had taken place in two separate incidents at Little Rock schools, resulting in the arrest by investigators of two students in separate incidents for threatening their respective schools.
Because they were underage, the reports did not include the names of the students.
A 16-year-old is facing charges concerning a Sept. 9 incident at Premier High School in Little Rock. According to the police report, officers working at the school were told by a school official that the student had threatened to “shoot up the school” in a social media chat.
Maumelle police say social media post is believed not to be a threat to local schools The student is facing a charge of terroristic threatening in the first degree, a felony, according to the report.
In the second incident on Sept. 12, a 17-year-old student sent a message via social media to a school official stating, “B****** be tripping dog, I’m thinking of blowing up the school.” The office forwarded the message to officers, who questioned the student before taking him into custody.
The student is facing charges of threatening to commit an act of mass violence on school property, according to the report, and was released to the custody of his parents.
Police arrest juvenile accused in social media threat made against Russellville Junior High School The LRPD’s letter stated the growing number of school threats is part of a national trend, and it followed a multi-pronged approach to confronting these threats.
“LRSD’s approach aligns with national efforts to prevent school violence,” the letter continues. “These efforts often involve a combination of security measures, threat assessment protocols, and collaborative partnerships between law enforcement, school resource officers, and educational institutions.”
Increased police presence expected at schools in Cabot after report of threat The school district letter by superintendent Jermall Wright decried the uptick in online threats for causing “unnecessary fear and anxiety.”
“Students who make such threats will be disciplined according to the LRSD Student Code of Conduct and may face serious consequences,” the letter said.
Wright continued, asking parents and guardians to speak with children about the dangers and repercussions of making and spreading threats, even as a joke. He stressed the importance of a “safe and focused environment that is conducive to learning.”
Central Arkansas school officials warn of consequences as multiple school districts listed in social media threat Multiple Arkansas schools have reportedly taken precautionary measures in recent weeks after being made aware of threats made via social media. Officials have repeatedly warned that making threats of this nature is a felony that could involve a prison sentence.
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