Superintendents from four area school districts held a joint news conference Monday to implore parents and students not to make matters worse if they see school threats on social media.
While it may seem the well-meaning thing to do is to warn everyone about the threatening message, the superintendents say doing so only amplifies the threats.
Rather than repost, the superintendents ask that the messages be reported to school officials or law enforcement officials to determine if there’s any validity to the messages.
School threats on social media have been widespread across the nation, especially since the most recent school shooting in Georgia.
“We’re seeing all the same media posts,” said Luke Boyer, of Carthage.
“There’s no question kids are anxious when they see shootings in other areas,” said Kerry Sachetta, of Joplin. “Reach out to us first (and not on social media). We will take it very seriously from there to track down the source and relieve students’ anxiety.”
“Reach out person to person. That’s what we’re asking,” said Phil Cook, of Carl Junction.
“Our goal today, said Brenten Byrd, of Webb City, is to partner with the community “so we can put an end to these rumors more quickly and make our students feel safe.”
In addition to calling local officials, you can also go to the Courage2Report Missouri website.
The website provides four ways to report:
• By phone – 1 (866)748-7047
• Courage2ReportMO mobile app
• Text C2R to 738477
The Webb City Sentinel isn’t a newspaper – but it used to be, serving Webb City, Missouri, in print from 1879-2020. This “newspaper” seeks to carry on that tradition as a nonprofit corporation.
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