Reports of a threat against Newcastle High School on social media Friday was investigated by Newcastle Public Schools working with Newcastle Police Department, and determined not to be credible.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Cathy Walker sent out a message on Facebook addressed to Racer Families outlining what happened and asking families to talk with their children about what happens when these types of threats are made.
She said, “As of last night (Friday) the Newcastle Police Department identified the source of the potential threat and determined it was not credible. NPS will enforce disciplinary actions per our policies and pursue legal action within the boundaries of the law.”
In the FB post, Walker provided a letter from what she described was a local school resource officer. The letter details what decisions have to be made concerning the charging of a juvenile with either a felony or misdemeanor, and whether the parents are to be held financially responsible and accountable.
In a recent social media post, the Oklahoma City Police Department states that a person convicted of a terrorism hoax is a prison sentence of up to 10 years per charge and reimbursement costs for investigations.
The local resource officer states, “This is a serious matter and getting more serious every day. Please talk to your kids, students, grandkids, or any youth you may have the ability to reach about how serious social media threats can be. It doesn’t matter whether they are threats made to another person or to an organization … Every fake threat we have to deal with diminishes from our ability to deal with the very real threats that could be around the corner.”
Walker said she thanks everyone who reported the posting to the administration.
“We are grateful for your support, as it allowed us to work together to keep students safe at school,” Walker said. “Have a great weekend, and please remind your student if they ‘see something, say something.’” Threats have increased around the Oklahoma City area. According to a story by StateImpact Oklahoma reporter Beth Wallis, schools in Piedmont, Norman, Enid, Yukon, Putnam City and Edmond have all reported incidents. Wallis also reports that Minco, McAlester and Waurika have either cancelled classes or locked down their schools due to threats.
