Middletown HS Receives SnapChat Threat

MIDDLETOWN, NY — A SnapChat post threatening a shooting at a school is being investigated by law enforcement and school officials.

Amy Creeden, superintendent of the Middletown city school district, said the post was reported to the high school administrators around 7:15 a.m. Friday.

She said the exact post was “MIDDLETOWN HIGHSCHOOL WILL BE RECEIVING AN ACTIVE SHOOTER TOMORROW 12/2.”

“Unfortunately, statements like this have been circulating across schools throughout the county on a very regular basis,” Creeden said in a statement to district families.

“So while we believe there is no credibility to these statements, we are acting in an abundance of caution and investigating the situation thoroughly,” she said.

The school district’s teams did the following:

• Contacted both City of Middletown and Town of Wallkill Police Departments so they could dig into the threat and determine its origin, if possible.
• Extra uniform officers will be on the high school campus and the surrounding area throughout the morning.
• Contacted the district attorney’s office and the Orange County Emergency Management Center to inform them of the situation.
• Informed staff at all levels, including the transportation company, so the district could prepare for a heightened awareness.
• Reminds all teams everywhere of the culture “See Something, Say Something.”

Creeden said the district will continue to monitor social media and investigate them accordingly.

“We reiterate that the district takes the safety of all scholars and staff very seriously and recognizes the need to be transparent regarding incidents which may impact our valued school community,” she said.

Negative behavior and inappropriate use of social media is a serious matter, Creeden said, the district will not tolerate any perpetuation of threats.

She said parents and guardians should speak with their children about the serious nature of posts made on social media that involve weapons and violence.