Social media threat of violence puts Rock Island High School on high alert
Rock Island High School staff and Rock Island Police were on high alert Wednesday morning when a social media post that showed guns and threatening language surfaced and spread.
Before 8 a.m., the school alerted parents about the situation, and gave parents the option to keep their children out of school. Parents were also told there would be extra police presence at the school.
Our Quad Cities news reporter Michael Frachalla reached out to Rock Island High School to see how many students left today, but school administrators didn’t have an exact number. At around 10 a.m., he spoke with a student who was being picked up by a parent. The student said there weren’t many students at the school at that time.
Our Quad Cites News crew went back about 3 p.m. to talk to parents who kept their children in school. A couple of parents, who did not want to speak on camera or be identified, told Our Quad Cities News they were worried about their children during the day and checked in with them often.
Police kept a presence at the school on Wednesday, investigating the threat, and making sure students were safe.
When Our Quad Cites News reached out to the Rock Island Police Department, Deputy Chief Tim McCloud said such situations require a lot of manpower, which, in turn, takes resources away from other calls to which police need to respond.
“Someone who chooses to use social media, text messaging, or even calling 9-1-1 to make a false threat, doesn’t realize what can result from such reckless behavior,” he said. “Even if someone only intends it as a joke, the consequences can be very serious and have lasting repercussions to anyone. Those who make false threats could face felony charges and jail time.”
Earlier this week, Moline High School administrators also responded to a threat of violence after a report of a possible explosive device at the school. The Moline Police Department received a call at the QCOMM dispatch center about a possible explosive device in the parking lot of Moline High School on Monday. The school was placed on a “soft lock down.”
Both investigations are ongoing.
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