Mid-Missouri faces surge in school threats as tipline numbers climb
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
As threats continue to be reported across Mid-Missouri schools, so are the number of tips being sent to the state's anonymous tipline database.
Since July, Missouri has already received 615 tips through its reporting mechanism Courage2ReportMo. Of those, 168 were for school-related threats, according to records obtained from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Not every tip they receive is related to school violence, and some of those tips are duplicates. However, all of them have to be taken seriously.
“No matter whether it ends up being a true threat or not, they ought to be taken seriously; and they all have to be responded to by law enforcement,” MSHP Lt. Eric Brown said. “In the same way, schools need to take them seriously and respond to them the same way, which causes a lot of disruption. But we must do those things to be sure that our kids are safe in school.”
In the past 15 days, Mid-Missouri has already seen at least 12 school threat investigations. Four students were arrested at Southern Boone following four different threats made both online and in the classroom between Sept. 13 and Wednesday.
On Thursday, multiple students were detained after the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department was made aware of a threat to the Higbee School District. Those students were later released.
A high school student in Hallsville was detained after making a threatening statement, the Hallsville School District wrote in a Thursday night email to parents. In Pulaski County, classes were canceled at Dixon Middle School after threats were made to students and staff.
“As early into the school year as we are right now, we are having a significant amount of tips coming in,” Brown said. “One of the things we have going on right now, not just in Missouri, but really across the nation, is everyone is seeing an increase in these styles of threats.”
Threats to schools have skyrocketed around the country following an early September shooting at a high school in Winder, Georgia. Numbers from the MSHP show that since July, Missouri schools have already received 102 school shooting threats.
Given the number of threats received, there is some concern that people will stop taking them seriously.
“I think that can actually be a concern at any point in time where, especially our youth, may not take some of these things they hear or see seriously, whether it be due to oversaturation or just not thinking, 'Hey, this could actually happen,” Brown said.
Clark Peters an associate professor at the University of Missouri who studies criminal youth justice says that it is normal for teenagers to try and push boundaries which makes it a difficult balance to hold them accountable.
“Schools remain the safest place for children. And that might not sort of seem obvious, but homes can be dangerous for children. That's where, you know, abuse and neglect tend to happen," Peters said.
When a juvenile is arrested their name remains anonymous, even when they begin to apply for jobs in the workforce. But while their name may be anonymous making threats to schools can lead to stiff penalties.
“Sometimes for even relatively minor offenses, the state may intervene in a way that seems kind of heavy-handed. But that's the idea is this is what the young person needs to and to divert them from, you know, worse offending in the future,” Peters said.
Peters added that all of these threats can give school an unfair rap.
“Schools remain the safest place for children. And that might not sort of seem obvious, but homes can be dangerous for children. That's where, you know, abuse and neglect tends to happen,” he said.
Brown says that if you see a potential threat online, do not repost or re-share it on social media, it because oftentimes it will cause more fear panic and confusion. He says it’s best to take a screenshot of it and send a tip to authorities. You can submit an anonymous tip by calling 866-748-7047 or by texting C2R to 738477.
