Another youth arrested as Southern Boone dismisses early, cancels Tuesday classes

ASHLAND, Mo. (KMIZ)

EDITOR'S NOTE: Comments from a parent have been removed because they had not been verified.

Another youth was arrested Monday for alleged threats in the Southern Boone School District as classes dismissed early and administrators called off Tuesday's session.

The Ashland Police Department posted on Facebook that it was told about a verbal threat related to the Southern Boone Middle School at about 9 a.m. Monday and arrested a student for fourth-degree assault.

"There is no other known threat to the community or schools related to this incident," the department wrote in the post. No more information would be released because the suspect is a juvenile, the department says.

Southern Boone School District officials later announced that they would release students early and cancel classes after additional threats and rumors on Monday.

'We hope this period of time will allow for tension and anxiety to ease in our community," Superintendent Tim Roth wrote in a statement. "The district continues to work closely with the Ashland Police Department to ensure the safety and security of everyone in our schools."

All extracurricular activities have been canceled for Monday and Tuesday. The open portion of the Board of Education meeting scheduled for Monday was postponed; however, a regularly scheduled executive session occurred on Monday. The executive session was closed to the public.

President of the school board Amy Begemann said she was unable to provide specifics into what was discussed during the session. However, she said the board discussed some of the recent threats during the meeting.

"I can't divulge any of that information because it was a closed session so yeah, information was obviously being gathered about some of the events that have taken place over the last couple of days and so it was just information gathering in regards to those aspects," Begemann said.

Vice President of the board Barrett Glascock said no notes or a vote were taken.

A group of roughly 20 parents of students in the district gathered in the parking lot of the district office for hours Monday night while the board met for its executive session looking for answers.

One father of a student who wished to remain anonymous due to safety concerns said he feels the district has lacked communication during the process, which is why he felt he needed to address the matter.

Several other parents who also wished to remain anonymous due to safety concerns said they are wanting a longterm solution from the district. Multiple parents said while school being canceled on Tuesday is a good step, they want to see more of a plan from the district about how it plans to move forward, something they claim the district has failed to do.

Several parents also said they asked the district if the juveniles arrested would be allowed to return to school. They claim the district told them because the issue involves a juvenile, they cannot disclose that information.

Former Cole County Prosecutor Bill Tackett told ABC 17 News that if a juvenile is released from police custody after making a terrorist threat, it's because they were found to not be a threat to the community.

According to Tackett, being able to keep them in custody comes down to the details of the threat that was made.

"It's just, it's a it's an issue of severity. It just comes down to  the content of the language, plus their mental health ,which is huge," Tackett said. "Evidence has to be presented before there's a finding. It doesn't suggest you're going to expel somebody before you've had due process, you're just not allowed to do that."

According to Begemann, the district plans to have school back in session on Wednesday. However, she said a plan had not been finalized as of Monday night.

Several parents of Southern Boone Middle School students held a tense meeting Monday morning with district administrators over apparent threats made by a student.

The parents said they planned to meet the night before.

"A whole group of people met last night at a parent's home, even more parents showed up this morning here at Central Office to try to talk to administration about our concerns and the lack of transparency," said a parent who wished to stay anonymous out of safety.

Another parent who wished to stay anonymous for safety concerns told ABC 17 that they are just looking for answers when it comes to students safety in school.

"We don't want the kid's name, we don't want you to give us details we just want to know. What are you Going to do to ensure our students' safety? And they could not guarantee us anything other than we have locked doors."

A juvenile was arrested Friday for allegedly making a terrorist threat against Southern Boone County Middle School, according to Ashland police. The juvenile is a student from the district and made a verbal threat, although the details of the threat have not been released.

Parents told ABC 17 News outside the school Monday morning that they want to hear a plan from administrators regarding disciplining the student. Several parents left the meeting crying and most said they are keeping their students out of school until the district tells them about its plan.

Parents told ABC 17 News that the student in question had violent drawings of other students and posted images with guns online.

A district spokesman wrote in an emailed response to questions that district leaders listened to parents' concerns during the meeting. The district says it will consider all concerns carefully.

"The district is committed to open communication and transparency, and we want to ensure that all concerns are carefully considered moving forward," the statement says. "We value the input from our parents and community members and will continue working collaboratively to address the concerns raised."

The district later said in a message to families that school administrators are prohibited by law from sharing specific details about student discipline.

"This means that while we may not be able to disclose certain information regarding the student involved or the specifics of the threat, please know that the district and the Ashland Police Department take all necessary actions to protect the safety of our school community," Superintendent Tim Roth wrote. "Your trust in this process is greatly appreciated as we balance transparency with the legal responsibility to protect student privacy."

The Ashland Police Department posted on Facebook regarding the arrest and they said they are aware of rumors circulating on social media. One rumor involved a gun being brought to a football game and another involved a knife.

The department said those rumors were false and there was no known threat to the district. Ashland police reiterated that because the suspect is a juvenile, it limits the amount of information that can be released.

The department on Monday posted a QR code to its Facebook page for people to send screenshots and digital files related to the police investigation.

"We have a QR code, where the community can submit any photos, videos or screenshots, related to this case online," said Andrew Worrall with the Ashland Police Department. "It goes directly to our digital evidence management system. We encourage everybody to submit whatever they have, even if they think we already have it, or they know someone else has submitted it, send it to us anyway, we'll sort through it."

The Benton County Sheriff's Office said Monday in a Facebook post that it was notified of "an implied threat of a shooting during the upcoming homecoming parade" toward the school district in Warsaw, Missouri. A juvenile was taken into custody related to the threat, the sheriff's office says.

Schools across Mid-Missouri have been investigating rumors of threats popping up on social media, but the threats turned out to not be credible.

Look for updates to this developing story.