CASPER- On Thursday afternoon, the Natrona County School District and the Casper Police Department investigated a social media post made containing an alleged safety threat.
This is the third alleged threat the school district has addressed in the last week.
Thursday's threat led to an overnight investigation in collaboration with the FBI to identify additional information. It concluded the post did not carry a substantial threat.
Operations Captain Ryan Dabney says of the investigation into the posts, “It does take a while, especially in the days of social media to try to walk back those posts to see where the original came from.”
It was revealed the post that had been shared was copied from a different post screenshotted from TikTok. According to the police department, similar posts and false threats have been circulating through other schools across the country.
Schools were open Friday, with an increased law enforcement presence in those where the post was widely shared, including Natrona County High School.
“We basically put everybody that we could on the street, in or around a school,” Dabney explains.
In a statement released Friday morning, the district recommended parents take additional action, by talking to their children about the impacts and consequences of sharing information that may cause harm, fear, or panic among students, staff, and the community.
The police department reminds students, if you see something, say something.
Dabney says, “As a parent myself, [I tell] my kids ‘You don’t have to believe everything on there, but if you think it is something that you think is warranted and you need to tell somebody about, find a teacher, find a principal, find a parent, and let them know.”
The details of Thursday's threat have not been made public. However, law enforcement is barred from releasing criminal investigations regarding minors, unless tried as an adult.
