First Posted: 3/26/2015
ELIDA — The student who left a note claiming a shooting would occur around 2 p.m. at a local high school has been identified.
According to a letter sent by Elida schools Superintendent Tony Cox, the culprit was identified after again reviewed security video footage after students left the premises. School administrators then discovered a person of interest not questioned Wednesday.
Thursday morning, the student was placed under emergency removal — meaning the student was unable to access school premises until questioned by officials with parents present.
When questioned, the student admitted to leaving the note as a prank to get out of school. According to Cox’s letter, the school is unable to discuss the student’s punishment or identity because of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Cox did not release the age or gender of the student, or why he or she wanted out of school.
Cox said the student is not allowed on school grounds and has faced consequences. The school also plans to follow police recommendations to pursue charges with prosecutors.
In the letter, Cox said he and the district take “these disturbances seriously.”
“If we as a district want these types of situations to stop, we all need to talk to our students,” he wrote. “Please talk to your student about the dangers of poor decisions like this. Parental involvement will help us reduce/eliminate these kinds of threats.”
Officials initially reviewed security footage and interviewed students who entered and exited the bathroom Wednesday but found nothing at the time.
The threatening note was found by a student in an Elida High School bathroom around 11 a.m. and given to a teacher. School resource officers put the school on lock down for an hour and a half while investigating. Students were released around 12:45 p.m. Parents received a text notification after that time, and the superintendent later released a letter to the public regarding the incident at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
The latest information regarding the threat was released through letter around 2 p.m. Thursday, followed by a text notification sent out around 4 p.m.
