Wentzville, MO (KTRS) Wentzville Police are responding to a “perceived threat” at Timberland High School.
Police released to following statement after receiving several phone calls regarding a possible threat.
Our department has received numerous phone calls about a “possible” situation at Timberland High School. We want to inform everyone after investigating this rumor there is no credible threat and the school and students are safe. The Wentzville School District and our police department will continue to monitor and provide updates if needed. The school is fully staffed and the school resource officer is aware and on duty.
The Wentzville School District also posted a message on Facebook:
We were alerted last week about a social media rumor that there was a student making threats related to Timberland High School. A social media post was shared with us following the school shooting in Florida that referenced “a bad day” and caused some students and parents concern. We spoke with the student involved and learned that the post was made prior to the tragedy in Florida and found no evidence of a threat. Since that time, rumors of what that student posted have morphed into something that we have not been able to verify. We brought in our local law enforcement and through the course of the investigation, no one has told us they actually saw a threatening post – just that they heard there was one.
Student safety is always our primary concern, but especially in light of what happened in Parkland, Florida last week. The WSD and law enforcement officials take anything that could be deemed as a threat very seriously and we will always take appropriate action to ensure the safety of our students and staff. We encourage students and parents to share anything out of the ordinary with us because we all play a role in keeping our school safe.
We hope this is an opportunity to have meaningful conversations with students reminding them that as valuable as social media can be in terms of timely communication, it can also serve as a vehicle to spread misinformation that can be harmful and have far reaching consequences. We encourage you to talk with your child and your students about being positive consumers of information and being responsible for what they view and share via social media. We ask that you also speak to them about the dangers of spreading rumors that only serve to heighten fears and speculation.
Student safety is always our number one concern and we are confident that this is a case of a rumor that had no basis yet spread quickly through the Timberland student body.
We understand that parents and students are anxious following what happened in Florida last week, but we want to assure you school safety is always our top priority and we will work together as a community to provide all students a safe place to learn and a safe environment for our staff to work.
