A teenager admitted to making a social media post that caused a scare within the State College School District. After a thorough investigation, police have determined the threat was not credible. However, the district is taking extra safety precautions at all schools.
Superintendent Bob O’Donnell sent the following note with updated information to district parents and employees on Sunday: Dear SCASD Community,
This communication is an update to the safety incident involving a student’s posting on social media this weekend.
Because of the State College Borough Police Department’s thorough investigation, we are confident that no threat to our students or employees exists. On Saturday, the teenager who posted the concerning Instagram message called the police and admitted posting the image and message. Police immediately met with the student and parents and obtained the device used for the post, as well as verified that the student has no known access to weapons. The family continues to be very cooperative with the authorities and school district.
As a precautionary step, we have been working with police to implement additional security measures in our schools starting tomorrow morning. In addition to the School Resource Officers (SRO) who are permanently assigned to our secondary schools (grades 612), and the routine daily patrols and visits to all schools, there will be increased visibility of police officers throughout all schools (grades K12).
Please know that when students make potentially threatening comments and/or significantly disrupt our schools, we keep the responsible students from attending school until the police, district and student assistance services are completely comfortable with the safety of all students, including the responsible individuals. In all cases, we make a careful evaluation prior to considering whether the involved student will return to school. I will continue to be directly involved in the facetoface meetings throughout the process regarding the student involved in this weekend’s incident.
We appreciate the students and parents who brought the posting to the attention of the authorities. While district officials and local police monitor social media regularly, we are not aware of all concerns that may exist. We continue to encourage parents to monitor their child’s social media accounts. Furthermore, we request that anyone who is aware of suspicious or concerning posts to report these directly to the police and your child’s principal.
Please know that my wife and I have three children who attend SCASD schools, and I would not permit us to open schools if the police or our administrative team believed that safety was a concern. Sincerely, Bob O’Donnell