Rumors of possible threats to schools leave parents unsettled
MOSES LAKE — Rumors of possible threats toward schools in the Moses Lake School District prompted a letter from district superintendent Josh Meek and concern from parents.
"We received information last night there was a post on Facebook regarding a rumored shooting at Moses Lake High School, Frontier Middle School and Endeavor Middle School,' Meek wrote in a letter posted on the district's website Friday afternoon. "As a precaution this morning, we increased our police presence on all our school campuses and MLPD has been at all our secondary schools today. The Moses Lake Police Department has found no credible reason to believe there is any threat to any of our schools at this time."
A message was found on a bathroom wall at Frontier Middle School Thursday, which led to a two-hour lockdown at the school. In a statement to the Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake Police Department Chief Kevin Fuhr confirmed there was no specific threat against any of the schools in the Moses Lake School District Friday.
“Nothing is going on. Here’s the deal, given the comment that was made yesterday on the wall at Frontier, along with obviously what happened last week in Florida, we just thought it would be nice to have a police presence,” Fuhr explained.
“There is nothing going on. No threats. Nothing like that. We are just in the schools and it’s just the junior highs and the high school just so people see the police cars there and just put them at ease.”
Fuhr said a handwritten note was recently found in a garbage can at Endeavor Middle School that referenced the Florida shooting, but police determined the note was not threatening in its nature.
"I hope today every teacher strongly reinforced 'see something, say something.' Even if they were false flags we need to follow through as much as we can," wrote Cari Marey Dillon on the school's Facebook page.
"While I pray these are just rumors and false reports, I felt safer having my kids home today," wrote Natalie Sorenson. "Thank you for the increase in security even if it is only temporary."
Moses Lake Christian Academy went on a modified lockdown Friday in response to a possibly threatening note found on the bathroom wall Thursday at Frontier Middle School. Police later determined the threat was not credible. MLCA took precautions because the afternoon threat was specific for Friday.
The modified lockdown was done because of the possible external threat, not due to a direct threat at the academy, according to an email sent to MLCA parents Friday morning from school Director Stephanie Voigt.
The academy also had law enforcement present at the school Friday to tour the school and visit with students to help them understand they care about students and are there to keep them safe.
Parents were encouraged to talk with their kids when they get home and help them understand school should be a safe place.
“If they ever see or hear anything concerning, they must tell someone,” Voigt wrote parents.
Managing editor Lynne Lynch contributed to this report
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