BERLIN — A recirculated, social media-fueled alarm involving a local school resulted in a measured response from the school system and allied law enforcement agencies with the threat’s legitimacy ultimately being confirmed as unfounded.
Last weekend, anxiety spread through the Stephen Decatur Middle School (SDMS) community about a perceived threat from an unnamed student. Part of the threat, fostered by a stream of social media posts shared by parents and others in the SDMS community whose nerves are still raw following the school shooting incident in Florida last month, suggested an unnamed student had created a “hit list’ of sorts naming other students he intended to harm or worse.
As the social media fervor intensified, some parents suggested they were keeping their children home from school. Others voiced concern about a robocall that went out to parents regarding the perceived threat. In addition, it appears many concerned parents began questioning their children about what they knew of the perceived threat.
When the school reopened on Monday, there were no mass absences and it was largely business as usual at SDMS. This week, Worcester County Public Schools Coordinator of Public Relations and Special Programs Carrie Sterrs confirmed there was at least one thread of truth in the social media scare over the weekend, but it was essentially a post recirculated from January when an investigation into a perceived threat was conducted.
“On Feb. 24, we became aware that a concerning social media post regarding Stephen Decatur Middle School had been circulating,” she said. “This post was originally from an investigation that took place back in January, during which no students were in any danger. We cannot comment any further on the investigation as disciplinary matters are protected by student privacy laws. When the post began recirculating, it began to instill fear in the SDMS community again, which prompted the interagency response issued from the State’s Attorney’s Office.”
The Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office, in conjunction with allied law enforcement agencies including the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, the Maryland State Police, the chiefs of the various municipal police departments in the county and school officials released their own statement regarding the alleged incident.
“The unfathomable tragedies of Parkland, Fla. and other similar instances around the country have demonstrated the absolute necessity for responsive, informed and efficient law enforcement agencies,” the statement reads. “As Worcester County residents, we are blessed to live in a county where all allied law enforcement agencies work collaboratively to achieve our foremost responsibility of ensuring the safety and well-being of our citizens at all times.”
The statement released by the State’s Attorney’s Office and the allied law enforcement agencies and school officials last Saturday characterized the social media stir as false and unnecessarily raising fear in the SDMS community.
“As part of the modern investigative tool-box, law enforcement agencies in cooperation with the Board of Education are routinely monitoring social media for both new information and possible threats,” the statement reads. “In doing so, it has come to the attention of law enforcement that there is misinformation that is currently being circulated that is causing many in our community to question whether or not our schools are safe. This information is categorically false, and not credible.”
The State’s Attorney’s Office statement said all threats real or otherwise are fully investigated and, in this case, were found not to be credible.
“This office was made aware of a potential threat earlier this week,” the statement reads. “Members of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, the Maryland State Police, the Berlin Police Department, the Office of the State’s Attorney, the Board of Education and the combined Bureau of Investigation fully and completely investigated the matter. Interviews were conducted, assessments were completed and appropriate action was taken.”
The action taken referred to in the statement was apparently related to the investigation into a perceived threat at SDMS in January. The State’s Attorney’s Office and the allied law enforcement agencies cautioned parents and members of the school community from assigning credibility to some of the social media posts circulating.
“As a result of that action, law enforcement can say that any information that suggests that schools in Worcester County are unsafe is false,” the statement reads. “We will continue to receive, monitor and investigate any new information. We will also continue to meet our obligations of keeping the public informed through traditional, verified and vetted means of communication. To that end, unless information regarding public safety originates with one of the aforementioned allied law enforcement agencies, we would ask you to treat it skeptically and with great caution.”
This week, Worcester County Public Schools Superintendent Lou Taylor assured the community SDMS and all county schools remain safe.
“First and foremost, Worcester County Public Schools takes the safety of our students and staff very seriously,” he said. “We work hard to ensure our schools are secure learning environments that enable students to focus on what matters most — their education.”
Taylor said every possible action is being taken by the school system and its allied law enforcement partners to ensure safety at the schools.
“Our school system community continues to evaluate and enhance the security of our schools in partnership with our local law enforcement and emergency services agencies,” he said. “While we understand the heightened level of anxiety around school safety during this time, we can confidently state that our schools are safe for student and staff attendance. I am confident that with schools, law enforcement, parents and our students all working together for the safety and security of our students and staff, we have every confidence that our schools will be safe to the best of our ability.”
