Friday, December 17th, 2021
Celina parents keep kids home after 'gun' post
Police: It was candy, there was no threat
By Leslie Gartrell
CELINA - Some Celina parents kept their middle school students home on Thursday after rumors of a potential school shooting circulated on social media.
Superintendent Ken Schmiesing said a couple of seventh- and eighth-grade students on Wednesday were playing a game with candy canes and using them as "guns."
Schmiesing said the students made some comments, which other students overheard and told their parents about. One parent made a speculative post on social media, leading to some worry among parents of a school shooting threat.
Celina Police Department officials in a Facebook post Thursday said the social media post mentioned a hit list and possible school shooting.
Celina police in a separate news release Thursday said the post began "'I don't know, but…'" and called the social media post irresponsible.
"There never was a threat to the schools or students out of this incident. This was childish horseplay," the release reads. "We urge people to not run with rumors and make these uninformed and irresponsible posts."
Schmiesing said student attendance was affected, but he didn't know how many students stayed home from school Thursday. When asked if the students were disciplined, Schmiesing said he could not comment on student discipline.
School officials usually answer parent phone calls if they have concerns, Schmiesing said, but school phone lines were down on Wednesday, leading to more confusion among parents.
Schmiesing said parents were not alerted sooner because the incident was being investigated and it was up to the police department to announce the incident publicly.
A call left with police chief Tom Wale was not returned by press time.
Although the district had issues with their phone system on the day of the incident, Schmiesing still encouraged parents to call the school if they hear something that's cause for concern.
"People are concerned because the biggest thing in their mind is their kids," Schmiesing said. "If people aren't sure about something, don't post it on social media. Call us if you hear anything so we can investigate it or answer questions."
