Two students taken into custody after they discussed ‘shooting up’ Park Hill South

Two students at Park Hill South High School have been taken into police custody after allegedly making a “specific, credible threat” against the school, its principal said in an email to parents and staff.

“There are significant legal and criminal consequences for threatening a school, and while we cannot talk about any specific student’s discipline, we can tell you that we have policies that prohibit threats,” Principal Kerrie Herren wrote to the school community on Monday, “and the consequences for any student violating these policies are very serious and could include long-term suspension or expulsion.”

Major Erik Holland with the Platte County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that authorities were contacted at 7:12 p.m. Sunday after a parent overheard two juveniles “talking about plans on shooting up the school.”

Holland said the two juveniles were interviewed and taken into police custody that night by the Platte County Juvenile Office.

Herren’s email did not identify the students, who remained in custody, or detail the threat made against the Riverside school. But additional officers were stationed there Monday as a precaution.

In a previous email Sunday, Herren said the school could not share details about the police investigation, but noted that law enforcement officers assured administrators that “we are safe.”

“While we cannot share more during their active investigation, we can say that we are grateful to the people in our school community who take any treats seriously and report it immediately to authorities,” Herren wrote. “We are also grateful to our local law enforcement for acting quickly to keep us safe.”