MCKEES ROCKS, Pa. — A lot of parents woke up this morning to a message from the Montour School District alerting them school had been canceled.
“5:15. Nice wake-up call,” said district parent Gale Dailey.
Monday's closing wasn't for the snow, or the ice outside, but a threat made on social media toward the high school.
“With a caption, 'Don't go to school tomorrow at MHS,’” said Robinson Township police Chief Dale Vietmeier. “’Students, I'm loaded up and about to head out.’ So... that was pretty serious.”
Vietmeier told Channel 11 that, overnight, a concerned parent tipped the department off to the disturbing Instagram post showing several rifles and a crossbow, with a message warning students not to go to school.
The Robinson and Kennedy township police departments quickly launched an investigation and determined the threat was made in a Virginia school district that happens to share the same initials as the Montour School District.
But that didn’t happen until after school was canceled.
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Superintendent Chris Stone later issued a press release saying, “Please understand that all potential threats to our school or students are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. The safety of our students is our primary concern.”
“Yeah, that's better. I'd rather be safe than sorry,” Dailey said.
On Monday afternoon, Channel 11 tracked down officials where the threat was made and confirmed with police in Charlottesville, Virginia, that they identified and detained the juvenile who posted the original threat.
Schools in the Montour School District will reopen Tuesday morning at regular times, and counselors will be available to discuss what happened with students.