MILL CREEK — Officials continue to review what happened earlier this week after disturbing online posts created controversy at Jackson High School.
The posts and subsequent reactions from other students created alarm among some families and led to conversations about how the Everett Public Schools could better handle communication for previous incidents.
At the same time, Mill Creek police reviewed the messages and found no credible threat to the school or students. The messages, posted anonymously on Twitter, made vague references to Jackson, in addition to bullying, self-harm and “ruining” people.
Other students who saw the posts passed them on, and in the process, added speculation and rumors that fueled the alarm, according to police. The confusion led to about half of Jackson’s students missing classes Wednesday.
Police are still investigating, however, Twitter has not responded to requests for help identifying the original poster, Sgt. Sean Conner said. Additional officers were posted on campus as a precaution.
Online threats have become a more emotionally charged topic locally after the Oct. 24 shootings at Marysville Pilchuck High School and other local threats that have led to arrests of young people.
The school district notified parents of the threats on Wednesday morning, about 12 hours after the rumors were first officially reported.
“It would have been ideal if the (notification) could have been sent earlier,” according to a school district news release sent out Wednesday evening.
The district on Thursday endorsed a “#KindnessChallenge” campaign on Twitter started by student body president Mitchell Weholt to encourage Jackson students to post positive messages.
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