An entire school district in Maine is closed on Wednesday after authorities were alerted to a shooting threat.
The MSAD in Skowhegan, which comprises 54 schools, announced the closure.
Police officials said that the shooting threat was made on Facebook and Instagram, depicting a rifle and including the words “Skowhegan” and “you’re all dead.”
“I would personally like to thank the Skowhegan community and other law enforcement agencies who contacted us in reference to this post bringing it to our attention,” Skowhegan Police Chief David Bucknam said, reported WCVB. “Although the picture does not directly threaten our schools, we take the safety of our community and children as our top priority so as a precautionary measure, the Skowhegan area schools are canceled today.”
The threat appeared to be made through a fake account with no profile picture.
Authorities are still working to trace the posts to whoever posted them.
This is the post that Skowhegan police and the FBI are investigating that closed MSAD 54 schools. pic.twitter.com/ps0vWFoKkH
— David Charns WMTW (@DavidWMTW) February 28, 2018
A threat on social media closes schools in MSAD 54 district. This affects seven towns and nine campuses. We’re hoping to get more information today. @WMTWTV pic.twitter.com/xBx5NbCU67
— Kathleen Jordan (@KJordan_WMTW) February 28, 2018
The school district closure was announced late Tuesday.
Schools closed included Canaan Elementary School, Bloomfield Elementary School, Margaret Chase Smith School, Mill Stream Elementary School, North Elementary School, Skowhegan Area Middle School, Skowhegan Area High School, Marti Stevens Learning Center, and Somerset Career & Technical Center, reported WABI.
In total, the closure affected seven towns and nine campuses.
In the original announcement, Superintendent Brent Colbry said that officials made the closure decision after consulting with the police department.
“All MSAD 54 schools will be closed tomorrow, February 28th, as a result of a threat posted and distributed through social media and digital communication this evening [2/27/18],” he said, reported WGME.
“As always, the safety and well-being of our students is our top priority. This decision was made after consulting local law enforcement, who are aware of the situation and are working to determine the credibility of the threat,” Colbry said.
From NTD.tv
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