OKLAHOMA CITY — The superintendent of Oklahoma City Public Schools is making it clear that threats to schools will be taken seriously within the district and legally. Local police and the FBI have issued warnings about the seriousness of making those threats.
So far, the threats have been hoaxes but each one will be taken seriously because of the disruption to the educational process and because officials do not know when someone will carry out those threats.
The Oklahoma City Police Department reports that there have been 65 hoax threats made against OKC metro schools since the beginning of school and 33 of those have been in the last week.
“The recent increase in hoax threats have created a major disruption to the learning environment for our students,” OKCPS Supt. Dr. Jamie Polk said in a letter to parents. “This is unacceptable. Every student and staff member deserves to feel safe while at school.”
“I urge our families to take action by closely monitoring their child’s online activity, as even jokes can lead to serious repercussions,” said Supt. Polk. “Families can learn more about how to monitor students’ online activity by visiting https://www.commonsensemedia.org/articles/online-safety.”
Action taken by police
One Capitol Hill High School student has already been taken into custody earlier in the week for questioning after social media posts made threats against the school.
In response, a message was sent to all parents and guardians of Capitol Hill High School students.
“OKCPS takes all threats seriously and any statement that might threaten or imitate a threat to our students is prohibited and the student involved will be disciplined according to our Student Code of Conduct,” read the message obtained by Free Press.
In a public statement, OKCPD urged all parents to “have important conversations with your children about the seriousness of these offenses.”
“A full investigation will include an application for search warrants to conduct searches of residences, seizing any weapons that may be accessible to the person, and seizing any electronic device that may have been used to make the threat,” the statement read.
Parents were warned that the penalty for a person convicted of a terrorism hoax or threatening acts of violence “is a prison sentence of up to 10 years per charge and applicable reimbursement costs for the investigation.”
Warning from FBI
Students may not be immediately aware that making a threat on social media from an electronic device is a federal crime — threatening interstate commerce.
In response to a rash of threats against schools nationwide, the FBI has issued a warning about the consequences for those who engage in that activity.
“The Bureau and its law enforcement partners take each threat seriously. We investigate and fully analyze each threat to determine its credibility,” said FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich. “Hoax threats disrupt school, waste limited law enforcement resources, and put first responders in unnecessary danger. We also don’t want to see a young person start out adulthood with a felony record over an impulsive social media post. It’s not a joke; always think before you post.”
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
