Threatening email sent to USD 234 Classes dismissed early as safety precaution, investigation underway

Loretta George/Tribune photo Classes at USD 234 were dismissed early Monday after school officials received a threatening email. Details of the message were not released, as the Fort Scott Police Department has launched an investigation.

Staff and students in USD 234 received a scare to start their day and return from the holiday break Monday morning.

According to Fort Scott Police Chief Travis Shelton, a few district personnel working at Fort Scott High School received an e-mail message Monday morning "that intended to cause alarm to the school." Shelton and district personnel said students were released from all district schools early Monday afternoon as a safety precaution.

"Student safety is our utmost concern," Shelton said. "Our initial concerns were unfounded."

USD 234 Superintendent Bob Beckham said school officials received the e-mail before 9 a.m. Monday. He and Shelton could not release specifics or wording of the e-mail message as Shelton said police will pursue a criminal investigation into the threat.

"It (the message) was conveyed to cause alarm to personnel and students," Shelton said. "It's an active investigation. A criminal investigation will be coming up due to the e-mail. We learned later on it was circulated in another state also, the exact same verbiage."

USD 234 Superintendent Bob Beckham said the e-mail was "intended toward the school district" as a whole.

"We received an electronic message intended to cause us alarm and scare us ... making a threat to the safety of our staff and students," Beckham said. "Since then, we've determined that same message has been used previously as a hoax somewhere else. Since safety (of staff and students) is our primary concern, we made the decision to make sure everybody was safe. We are working with law enforcement officials to confirm we are safe."

Shelton said the e-mail has been deemed to be similar to a hoax message that has circulated in the past in another state.

"It was used sometime in the past in a different state," he said.

Shelton said the source of the e-mail is part of the criminal investigation police plan to undertake. Standard police procedure in the event of a threat such as the e-mail is to respond to the school building, conduct a search and work together with school officials on options.

"We checked to find out if the e-mail was known to law enforcement," he said. "We teamed up with school officials to do a security check inside and outside the building."

Shelton said nothing was found during a search of the high school premises.

"It's handled very similar to a bomb threat," he said.

Shelton said he had not received any phone calls from concerned parents Monday but said school officials had fielded several calls.

Beckham confirmed that he had heard concerns from several parents in the school district Monday.

"And that shows we're in a community where people care," he said.

Beckham also said there was good teamwork between the school district and police department, and between staff and students in handling the incident.

"I'm proud of the cooperation with the police department and how everyone (staff and students) handled everything today," he said.

Shelton said police officers also spoke with personnel at the other public schools, and also communicated the issue to private schools in the area.

"A text went out to close all schools early," he said. "It's something you can't take lightly, any of these kinds of communications."

Beckham said the plan was to return to normal school operations today.

"We're having class tomorrow," he said.