SFSD: Report, don’t repost school threats

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — It’s something school districts in KELOLAND and across the nation have been dealing with, school threats, typically on social media.

Wednesday morning, families in the Sioux Falls School District were alerted to another social media threat that was circulating overnight.

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The district says a middle schooler is believed to be the source of the threat, and police were in contact with the family.

Sioux Falls School District Superintendent Jane Stavem says the district takes every school threat seriously.

“Today it was a local threat that we dealt with and we dealt with it very swiftly and effectively in partnership with our police department,” Stavem said.

Investigating school threats can become taxing for law enforcement.

“We don’t have the luxury of just dismissing one, and so when one comes up we have to go forward and we have to investigate each one, and that includes a lot of late night phone calls between our SRO lieutenant and school staff as we work through different issues as they’re reported,” Sioux Falls Police Chief Jon Thum said.

The threats can also take a toll on students, staff, and families.

“That’s one of the consequences of this behavior too is that we can’t allow it to continue. We have to have people who can come to work, come to school, we do teaching and learning, and we preserve what happens in our schools and that’s why we are going to continue to address things as they happen, but we also need parents to partner with us. They have to be aware of what their children are doing online,” Stavem said.

Stavem says if you learn of a possible school threat, report it to law enforcement or the school administrator, instead of reposting it on social media.

“Typically what happens when you start to repost is the misinformation follows and then people are looking to social media for good information, and that’s not where it happens,” Stavem said.

Classes went on as scheduled Wednesday.

Stavem couldn’t say what the specific consequences would be for the student, but she says any student who causes a threat or disruption is going to face school discipline and possible legal consequences.