New: Superintendent Day has sent out a phone call informing the district that both the person in the image and the person who published the threat have been identified by the Amherst police. They have determined that there is no longer a threat related to this situation.
This is the second official statement from the District.
Dear Sweet Home Community:
Earlier this evening, I sent an email regarding an image posted online and a possible threat to students tomorrow.
I have just spoken with Amherst Police. They have identified the individual in the image as well as the person responsible for adding a caption stating “don’t go to school on the sixth” to the image before posting it online. They have determined that there is no threat related to this situation. We will continue to work closely with legal authorities to complete the investigation hold those individuals responsible for this situation accountable for their actions.
I know that this situation was potentially very serious and am glad to report that we have obtained this information. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
The following is the first official statement from the District. More information will be posted as it is made available to us.
Yesterday at approximately 6:55pm last evening, the High School administration became aware of a picture of a male with a gun strapped on his shoulder/back which was shared into a group chat with about 30 students on Snapchat. The photo had the text “don’t come to school the 6th” placed in the picture.
Over the last 20 hours, the administration has worked closely with the Amherst Police to investigate and interview individuals that may have information regarding the picture. At this time, the police have not been able to determine the identify of the individual or if the image is an actual picture or an image captured from the Internet. The police will continue their efforts to learn more about the picture but do not believe that any credible threat exists to the high school or any school in the District.
Throughout the day tomorrow, we will have added extra security measures in place tomorrow. The Amherst police will have additional patrol cars on the HS campus during arrival and dismissal and will be making heavy checks throughout the day. The APD will be making checks at all our campuses – elementary, middle and Ready Academy- tomorrow during the school day as well. Extra security guards will be in place in the high school until 4:00. Door checks will be conducted by our staff throughout the day.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call or email me.
Basic typographic corrections have been made.
