By Whitney Barnes
Staff Writer

Due to heightened concerns about school violence following a social media post, several parents in Marshall’s school district opted to keep their children at home on Friday, Sept. 13.

The school district responded to these concerns by making multiple social media posts addressing the issue. They explained that the previous week, school districts in Kansas City had received threats of harm on school campuses. By mid-week, Marshall School District also received a similar threat. The school district assured the community that they were taking every precaution and that law enforcement was actively investigating the source of the threat.

“They believe we will have an address very soon,” the district posted Thursday. “… There is no imminent threat. All these similar cases this week were traced to teenagers who thought it was funny and they could get away with it. Not that we will take any chances; we will not. We will have extra police around our schools tomorrow until this is resolved.”

Around 7:30 a.m. on Friday, the school district released a statement online, indicating that the Marshall Police Department and the FBI had almost traced the threat to its exact source. Later, at 9:45 a.m., the school district made a second post, announcing that they had identified the perpetrator of the threat.

“We are pleased to tell you, thanks to the hard work from the Marshall PD, Courage to Report and the FBI, the culprit of the threat has been found confirmed and the threat is over.”

The district emphasized that while other stories were circulating on Snapchat, this was the only credible threat to the area and reiterated that the source of the real threat had been apprehended.

Around 10:15 a.m. Friday, the MPD issued a statement supporting the school’s claims and confirming that they had identified the individual involved.

“The threat was communicated via social media, and the Marshall Public Schools was the target,” MPD’s post read. “The Marshall Police have investigated the matter and have determined no credible threat.”

Many parents took to social media on Thursday to express their concerns, with a number of them stating that they would not be sending their children to school on Friday. They commented on the school’s post, with one parent saying, “None of my kids will be going,” and another parent stating, “My daughter is staying home.” One parent emphasized, “This is a very serious and immediate threat.”

After the school district confirmed the situation was under control, several parents praised the district for its swift response. They expressed their gratitude with comments like, “Thank you so much for all your hard work and for identifying the responsible party. Thank you for keeping us parents informed,” and “Thank you to everyone who acted quickly.”