Schools in several Missouri cities have received online threats this week, including new threats made Friday against schools in Kansas City, Independence, and Cape Girardeau.
In central Missouri’s Marshall, an arrest has been made in a social media threat published Thursday night, according to Superintendent Caleb Petet.
“We’re not speculating. We’re certain we have found the culprit,” Petet told Missourinet affiliate KMMO. “It was never a viable threat, but we now have this put to bed, and things are safe and back to normal at Marshall public schools, thank goodness.”
The threat against Marshall followed similar online threats made toward school districts in Columbia, the Kansas City and St. Louis areas and across western Missouri, including Lexington, Odessa, and Sedalia.
Petet said kids may not realize the harm they can do online.
“Kids are kids, you know, but they have such a powerful device in their hands when they have a cell phone and the internet and these social media platforms,” he said. “Many of us as children made decisions that we would regret, and I personally can’t imagine having that device in my hand as a teenager.”
Petet said amid the string of copycat posts across the region, it’s important for parents to educate their children about proper online behavior.
So far, there have been no reports of school closings in Missouri.
Story contributed by Kyle Hill, of Missourinet affiliate KMMO Radio, Marshall, Mo.
Copyright © 2024 · Missourinet
