Recently there has been a big increase in school threats across the country on social media, endangering students’ and teachers’ lives and safety with threats of violence. Students and faculty members have been affected by these threats and the troubles that come with being at school in the midst of worry and fear.
It started after the school shooting in Winder, Georgia, on Sept. 4, 2024 which left four people dead and many injured. Shortly after the incident, hundreds of schools began receiving threats all over the country.
Missouri is one of the states greatly affected by the threats posted on the social media app Snapchat. The threats targeted Kansas City schools including University Academy, Ewing Marion Kauffman School, Kipp Legacy, Center High School, Hogan Preparatory Academy and others.
This scared numerous students including Haley Hughes, a UA junior. Hughes said when she first heard about the threats, it freaked her out.
“Usually things like that don’t come to our school,” she said.
Others weren’t really shocked, like UA sophomore Mychael Ramsey, who said when he first heard of the threats he wasn’t very surprised.
He said, “That’s crazy, but I don’t care much. It’s scary, sure, but I don’t feel affected much by it. Gun violence is everyday life.”
Officer Tonika Benson, the UA Coordinator of Safety and Security, said she had no choice but to believe these threats.
She said, “We took the threats seriously from the start. … Even if a threat seems non-credible initially, our responsibility is to ensure that all possibilities are explored to safeguard the school.”
Officer Benson worked with local law enforcement in prioritizing safety for UA students.
When the UA-related threats first came out on Sept. 13, 2024 UA went on a soft lockdown. Students were only allowed to leave classrooms when they absolutely needed to, and lots of parents picked up their students early that day. Then, on Sept. 15, 2024there was another threat from social media with a picture of a rifle and the school name “UAS,” which was believed to be UA. UA staff informed families and said students would be excused if they wanted to stay home from school on Sept. 16, 2024 which many students did.
Throughout this ongoing struggle, UA prioritized keeping the parents informed, letting them know the authorities were involved and that they wouldn’t take any threats lightly.
Yet another incident occurred on Sept. 21, 2024 when an unexpected bomb threat was received while people were in the school building getting ready for the Homecoming parade. Everyone had to evacuate until the Kansas City Police Department gave the all clear.
These threats have left students feeling as if social media might be one of the biggest parts of the problem.
Hughes said, “Social media is a huge issue with everything, actually. But to sum it up into one thing: People love attention, and people love to scare people as a joke.”
From the threats sent online, five people were taken into custody in Jackson County on Sept. 17, 2024. They all will be charged as minors, and they face charges of terroristic threat and behavior injurious to welfare.
Officer Benson would like to remind people that together, everyone can make the environment safe and supportive.
She said, “When we stand united, there’s no challenge we can’t overcome. Let’s continue to look out for one another and ensure that University Academy remains a place of security, growth and community.”
School safety is an important part of students’ ability to receive a good education.
