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Kansas City police investigate a 5th threat made against metro area school

A threat was made on Snapchat on Monday morning against Ruskin High School, making it the fifth threat against a Kansas City area school in the last few weeks.

The school did not find the threat to be credible, said Marissa Cleaver Wamble, a spokeswoman for the Hickman Mills School District. She said the district believed it was part of a string of hoaxes.

The threat made Monday was similar to other unsubstantiated threats the district has received, the letter said. Last week, a threatening message directed at Smith-Hale Middle School, which is also in the district, was posted on Snapchat as well.

“We are working with KCPD and as a precaution will have extra security and safety measures in place at Ruskin beginning immediately,” the district said in a letter to parents. “Recently we have received several unsubstantiated threats similar to this one. We will continue to take all threats seriously and keep parents, students and staff informed.”

The Kansas City Police Department was notified of the threat and is investigating, according to the letter.

A spokeswoman for the department said they typically see an increase in threats around the time kids go back to school. KCPD did not elaborate on the nature of the threat.

“We work regularly with school administrations and school resource officers/off duty officers to ensure the safety of the students in the schools,” KCPD spokeswoman Officer Donna Drake said in an email.

Last week, two Park Hill South High School students were taken into police custody after allegedly making a credible threat against the school. A parent overheard two juveniles “talking about plans on shooting up the school,” Major Erik Holland with the Platte County Sheriff’s Office said.

Holland told The Star last week that the Sheriff’s Office is seeing more threats reported than normal.

On Oct. 5, a juvenile was arrested after a social media post circulated about a possible threat to Olathe South High School, according to the Olathe police department.

A day earlier, on Oct. 4, extra law enforcement were sent to Lakeview Middle School in the Park Hill School District after threats of a school shooting were made, the Platte County Sheriff’s Office said at the time.

Read the district’s full letter to parents below:

Ruskin families,

This morning a student allegedly posted a threatening message on Snapchat directed towards Ruskin. The Kansas City Police Department has been notified and is investigating. We are working with KCPD and as a precaution will have extra security and safety measures in place at Ruskin beginning immediately. Recently we have received several unsubstantiated threats similar to this one. We will continue to take all threats seriously and keep parents, students and staff informed. The safety of HMC-1 students and staff is our top priority.

Thank you to the parents, students and staff who reported the threat to administrators. We appreciate your partnership in keeping students safe.