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Police give stern warning to students at Connellsville School District

CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. — In the week since the deadly school shooting in Florida, school districts across western Pennsylvania have been following up on reports of potential threats.

Just Thursday, threats were made at North Allegheny and Moon schools.

Now, police in Connellsville are giving a stern warning to students in that district and showing them the danger of making false threats.

Police in Fayette County just stopped a mass shooting plot in the Uniontown School District last month.

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Fayette County's District Attorney and police officers stood before hundreds of students at Connellsville Area High School on Thursday.

The message was clear: rumors of school threats will be taken very seriously.

"In light of everything that is going on, our previous goal and main goal is to reinforce to our families, to our students, that communication is key," said David McDonald, interim schools superintendent.

District Attorney Richard Bower said every school district in the county will be adding additional police officers at schools.

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He stressed that every threat leads to hours of work for school officials and local police, and that making false threats to try to get school canceled can have a lasting impact on a student's life.

"I'm going to tell you point blank: You get suspended from school, you get expelled from school, that's on your record," Bower said.

Bower also stressed the importance of reporting rumors to officials to make sure everyone is safe.

"If you hear something, report it. If you're having a problem, report it," he said.

Organizers of the event said the key was making sure students and parents feel safe, but also ensuring students understand their actions have consequences.