Escalating threats raise safety concerns in local schools

PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) – School threats have increased rapidly in the area since the shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia on Sept. 4.

“Primarily they are coming from online chat rooms, in a number of cases we have identified juveniles as the generators of these threats,” Pittsburgh FBI Special Agent Kevin Rojek said.

In recent weeks there have been three juveniles charged with making threats to schools in Central Pennsylvania, the most recent one being at Mifflin County Junior High School when a student confessed to writing about a school threat on the boy’s bathroom wall.

Previous coverage of threats reported in our area:

• DA: One juvenile in custody after Cambria County school shooting threat
• PSP: One juvenile charged after bomb threat at Indiana County school
• Mifflin County Junior High School student charged after threat

School officials acknowledged that it is their job to keep the schools safe, as well as police and other first responders, but it is up to the students to report anything they may have heard or seen.

Conemaugh Valley Superintendent, Shane Hazenstab, shared that teachers and students practice for possible situations every year and that following an alleged shooting threat earlier this week practice paid off.

“We want a safe school, so we all have to be part of making that happen. So when we have things just like today, when they hear things that first step, reporting it to the adults is all they need to do,” Hazenstab said.

In that case, another juvenile was arrested after the building was evacuated and police searched it.

A concerning problem for FBI officials though is the trend of people sharing the threats on social media, in hopes to makes to bring awareness to the possible threat. However, this is something that officials say does more harm than good.

“The reposting of these threats is not helpful to anyone, particularly law enforcement community. We’ve seen that occurring, significantly in this case that particularly see threats on social media posts and then they repost them thinking it is being helpful,” Special Agent Rojek said. “We find it actually makes things worse and exacerbates the situation as it tends to spread more fear and concern throughout different communities and the original community”

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Cambria County District Attorney Greg Neugebauer added that whether or not the threat is real it will always be taken seriously.

“This is a reminder that any threat will be taken seriously and prosecuted. Students need to realize that making any type of threat can have long-term implications which may include having a record that follows you into adulthood,” Neugebauer said.

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