De Soto school district officials said a threatening message on a restroom wall at De Soto High School Thursday (Jan. 14) did not appear to pose a serious danger to students or staff.
De Soto High School, however, was placed on a modified lockdown, assistant superintendent Josh Isaacson said.
“As always, the safety of our students and staff is paramount. The initial indication was that there was not a viable threat to students or staff,” he said.
The De Soto Police received the call about 11 a.m.
“We were made aware of a threat of violence,” interim Police Chief Rick Draper said.
The threat was written in graffiti and made reference to “Thursday,” he said.
Draper said police were unsure whether the threat was written on the wall recently.
“It made reference to a specific day (Thursday), but not a date. It is possible this was overlooked,” Draper said.
Multiple officers were sent to the high school, and officers increased patrols around other De Soto School District schools.
“The focus of our attention was the junior high and the high school (which are on the same campus) because that’s where the threat was located,” Draper said.
Police patrolled the high school hallways on foot, and the department worked closely with the Superintendent’s Office to determine the credibility of the threat, he said.
“We were unable to substantiate any information that a threat would be carried out,” Draper said.
He said, however, that any kind of threat is taken seriously.
“The protocol is, the school contacts us immediately, we respond immediately, and we take action immediately,” Draper said.
Isaacson said parents were notified about the incident by phone.
“Our primary concern is everyone's safety; therefore, in collaboration with the De Soto Police Department, an additional police presence remained at the high school and the modified lockdown continued until the end of the school day,” he said.
Draper said the Police Department would increase its presence at district schools in the future.
School is not in session today (Jan. 15) because of staff development activities and will not be in session on Monday (Jan. 18) because of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.