A 13-year-old boy has been charged with felony disorderly conduct after making online threats against Virgil L. Grissom Middle School in Tinley Park, as reported by CBS News Chicago. The Tinley Park police said that the teen, who was not a student at the school, managed to gain unauthorized access to the school's social media account and the identity of an enrolled student to make the threats. The incident prompted a collaboration between police and Kirby School District 140 to identify the individual responsible.
In a separate, but similar wave of incidents, several students from Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Valparaiso, Indiana, faced arrests on charges related to sharing and creating threatening information on social media. This investigation began with the discovery of a "possible threat of violence" last week, leading to a temporary partial lockdown and heightened concern from parents and the community at large, as detailed by ABC7 Chicago. Misinformation led to a chaotic response, with multiple 911 calls and parents rushing to the schools out of concern for their children's safety.
One parent, Stacy Howard, whose 13-year-old was among the arrested and placed on house arrest for 30 days, questioned the authorities' response, particularly involving those who merely shared the threatening information. "Zay was on the list of the school shooter; so, he reposted it. Why can't he? We're just trying to figure out where the kid who made the post is at. Why ain't he here? Why are the other kids being hauled out? So, I heard there were a hundred kids that repost it. So, are they going to arrest all 100 kids?" Howard told ABC7 Chicago.
In light of these events, law enforcement officials and school authorities urge parents and students to consider the repercussions of sharing unconfirmed information. The Valparaiso Police Department encourages direct notification to authorities upon encountering such material. "The safety and well-being of our students and staff is our top priority," stated Valparaiso Community Schools' Superintendent Jim McCall. He assured that counselors and social workers are ready to assist students in need and emphasized the continued efforts to reinforce responsible online behavior amongst students.
As these incidents unfold, they join a worrying trend of threats against schools across the nation, including recent serious cases in Lake County, Indiana. The Lake County Sheriff's Department announced felony intimidation charges for two children, a 14-year-old girl from Gary for a threatening TikTok video and an 11-year-old boy from Hebron for a rhyme about a school shooting made on a bus. "These types of threats can cause widespread fear and may also divert critical public safety resources; posing a potentially grave danger to the community," the Lake County sheriff said in a statement provided to ABC7 Chicago.
