Student On 'Kill List' Text In Lower Merion, Attorney Says

LOWER MERION TOWNSHIP, PA — Parents and guardians in the Lower Merion School District are outraged at the district's response to middle schoolers discussing the shooting of another student recently.

According to the district, students at Bala Cynwyd exchanged text messages regarding violence toward other students.

The students discussed school shootings and who they would want to see shot, according to a lawyer who represented parents at Monday's school board meeting.

"Our client's child was on a kill list," Attorney Andrew Erdlen told Patch Tuesday.

One message is paraphrased as saying "every day I think of a school shooting and hope the most people die" and another said something along the lines of "I hope the following people die" then included a list of students, he said.

Parents and guardians of students at the school did not learn of the messages' content via the district, Erdlen said.

Erdlen clients say the district did not act thoroughly enough after the messages were revealed.

The district said there was no credible threat to the school after an investigation involving Lower Merion Police.

"In collaboration with the Lower Merion Township Police, the school Threat Assessment Team and mental health professionals, the determination was made that the texts in question did not indicate an actual threat to our school students or staff," Acting Superintendent Megan E. Shafer said in a message to the community. "While this may bring some relief, the truth is, given the current climate of our country and multiple incidents that have already transpired this year, it is not lost on me how challenging these situations are. Legal and student privacy limitations have hampered our ability to fully communicate details of the incident to everyone’s satisfaction; I truly regret the distress and uncertainty this has created."

Erdlen said there are "significant issues" with how the district handled the situation.

"Our clients were told next to nothing, which is unacceptable given the messages." he said. "Our clients and other parents weren't given any information about where it was a credible threat."

Parents, Erdlen said, should have been given an opportunity to determine if their children are safe at school.

Parents want the students who sent the messages to be moved to a new school for the remainder of the year and to release full details of the investigation into the texts.

Erdlen said his clients do not want their child to be to endure the ongoing emotional trauma from students putting their name on a "kill list."

"Regarding the most recent incident at BCMS, all students involved in this incident have received support and consequences in alignment with District Policy," Shafer said in her message to the district community. "My sincere hope is that all children in this incident, with the guidance and support of their families and the staff at BCMS, are able to heal and move forward as a community."

When asked about potential legal action his clients may take against the district regarding this incident, Erdlen declined to comment.