Social media threats, school safety addressed by LPS

Lawton and other local schools have been victimized by a number of threats made on social media.

A spate of reports about potential school violence have been causing chaos and even closures of schools across the country.

Central Middle School received a social media threat Wednesday morning although it was investigated and deemed not credible.

On Tuesday morning, MacArthur Middle and High Schools also received a threat via a social media post and through the day more threats were discovered via social media and screenshots, according to Lawton Public Schools. The alerts used the abbreviations of MMS and MHS.

This follows threats on Monday to Fletcher Public Schools that sent the campuses on lockdown. One person was reported taken into custody in the matter but no charges had been filed as of Wednesday morning.

It’s part of a growing national trend.

Threats in Springfield, Ohio, related to rumors passed as fact that immigrants are eating pets have caused repeated closures in the past week of the schools and city offices as well as the cancellation of community’s culture fest last weekend.

In some cases, such as the Sept. 4 Apalachee High School shooting where two students and two teachers were killed and nine others injured, the threats proved too real. On that day, a call was placed from an unknown person threatening that Apalachee would be among five schools targeted. A second call followed from the mother of the alleged shooter, 14-year-old Colt Gray, was made warning of an extreme emergency.

LPS Superintendent Kevin Hime issued a statement regarding the local threats. He noted that many of these messages do not include specific information on a location and offer generic abbreviations, such as the case of the MacArthur schools with MMS and MHS. In some cases, a single post sparked concerns, copycat threats and disruptions in multiple states and communities, including Lawton.

Lawton Public Schools Chief of Police Josh Seely is urging calm after a series of out-of-state social media posts caused concern at several Lawton secondary schools and other state communities.

Earlier this week, messages on Instagram and SnapChat warned “MHS”, “MMS” and “CMS” students of a safety threat. Later in the week, similar messages referenced “LHS.” An incident in Kansas may be tied to the “LHS” posts.

On Wednesday, Kaden Ray Bentley, 18, Leavenworth, Kan., was charged with aggravated criminal threat for threatening to commit a school shooting at Leavenworth High School. Seely said the post made its way to Lawton because it referenced “LHS”.

“The safety of Lawton Public Schools students and staff is our greatest priority; therefore, every report is taken seriously and thoroughly investigated by our LPS Police Department in collaboration with local and state law enforcement agencies, to include the Oklahoma School Security Institute (OSSI),” Hime said.

The OSSI is a division of Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security formed in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, signed into law on April 17, 2013, and established as an official division of the Homeland Security office on July 1, 2013. It acts as the central resource for all security information, programs and training in the state.

In an age where information spreads like wildfire and often without verification, Hime asked that students, staff and families approach communication with care and responsibility. Spreading unverified and often inaccurate information on social media can cause unnecessary worry and distract and divert law enforcement from addressing safety concerns effectively, he said.

“I encourage everyone to contact trusted and prepared channels – such as school and law enforcement officials – to report any concerns promptly,” he said.

Those include, your child’s school office; the LPS Police Department at: [email protected]; the Lawton Police Department, 580-581-3270; or the OSSI, 855-337-8300.

If there is an urgent situation or safety concern, the school district will send a text, email and/or phone call to parents and guardians through the district’s mass notification system. Families are asked to keep their contact information current with the schools.

According to Hime, the responsibility to serve students safely is a responsibility held with the “utmost care every day.”

“This is why we have increased our security measures to include weapons detectors, fencing at all our sites, and required student IDs,” he said. “We continue to remain vigilant in maintaining a safe learning environment for all.”

Seely said there are consequences for reposting such threats. If the threat is false, criminal charges of making a false post could be filed in Comanche County District Court against the parent or student. Charges could range from a misdemeanor to a felony, he said.

Students who repost false information may face disciplinary action from their school principal, Seely said.

“Every threat that comes in, we investigate,” he said. Seely said parents or students should take a screenshot of the threat and notify school personnel or the Lawton Public Schools Police Department at [email protected].

Students may use the StopIt app to report incidents. Parents and students also may notify the Lawton Police Department, which in turn will notify Lawton Public Schools Police Department.