KY teens arrested over threats to high school; concern spread to several states.

A 16-year-old boy and 14-year-old girl have been arrested after officials say they made threats that, in at least one case, caused concern for schools in several states.

The students were arrested Monday and Tuesday in two separate incidents in Marion County, Kentucky State Police said.

On Monday, state police said they arrested the boy after the Lebanon Police Department asked for help investigating “a threat to the Marion County High School.”

Marion County Public Schools canceled classes Monday because of that threat, according to a statement posted on the school district’s website.

The district said the “concerning social media post” was brought to its attention Sunday night.

The student who was charged attends Marion County’s Hugh C. Spalding Academy/Marvel online program and “was not taking classes on campus,” the district said in its statement, which was later removed.

“We know other school districts both in and outside of Kentucky recently received similar online threats that were deemed a hoax, but this post specifically referenced an MCPS school, which made it more concerning,” the statement read.

Law enforcement agencies in several states with counties named Marion sought to reassure people in their areas after the threat began circulating.

Marion County Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management in West Virginia shared on Facebook a photograph from Snapchat that it said was the same one circulating in Kentucky that prompted Monday’s investigation.

The photograph appears to show ammunition and includes the statements “Marion county high school here I come” and “yall better skip tmr if yall don’t wanna die.”

“This SnapChat photograph appeared to make a threat of carrying out a school shooting in a Marion County high school. The photograph did not specify which school this might be,” the social media post by West Virginia homeland security stated.

“During our investigation, we learned of an incident which occurred in Marion County Kentucky on 9 September 2024. The incident which occurred in Kentucky was investigated by the Kentucky State Police. The result of this investigation was the arrest of the suspect who made the threats. ... At this point, the Marion County, WV Sheriff’s Office has investigated this matter, and has determined that the threats made by this SnapChat photograph were not threats directed at our high schools.”

The Pella Police Department in Marion County, Iowa, and Marion County Sheriff’s Office in Yellville, Ark., also posted statements on social media explaining that they had received calls.

On Tuesday morning, Kentucky State Police said in a separate news release, Lebanon police again sought their help investigating a threat to Marion County High School.

“School administration received notification of a threat to the school that was sent to a student via text message,” state police said.

In that instance, a 14-year-old girl was arrested.

Both students were taken to a juvenile detention center and charged with first-degree terroristic threatening, Kentucky State Police said in separate news releases.

Marion County Superintendent Chris Brady addressed the situation in another statement to families posted on the school system’s website Tuesday night.

While he said some some had asked him to close schools for the rest of the week, Brady said that “would not be productive.”

“We know the recent online threats were not legitimate and that our schools and students were safe at all times,” he wrote.

“I’m encouraging our families to see these threats for what they were: unfortunate and unnecessary distractions to the school district from young people who made profoundly poor decisions. Just as importantly, if your child has access to social media, you need to talk to him or her about the dangers of posting or sharing any inappropriate content -- not just because of how it affects the operations of a school district. Students who make threatening statements online will receive extreme consequences from both the school district and law enforcement.

“What we experienced today was a distraction for a little more than half of a school day; the repercussions felt by those who make online threats will extend for years.”

Brady also said “the volume of misleading, exaggerated, or inaccurate information shared through social media from community members was very disappointing, and the fear that many families felt was a consequence of what showed up in a newsfeed that doesn’t discriminate between fact and fiction. ...

“This also extends to employees of the school district. If there are staff members who are speculating about school safety issues online, sharing confidential information, or in any way complicating these types of situations they will be held accountable.”

Brady said there was “an increased law enforcement presence” at the high school Tuesday.

Kentucky State Police said they investigate “all reported threats of school violence regardless of context or intent.”

“Troopers urge parents to have a conversation with their children about the dangers of posting threatening messages on social media and reporting any concerning information they may come across online,” state police said in a news release.

Adair County cancels classes

School threats continued on Wednesday, as Adair County Superintendent Jason Faulkner said in a Facebook post that classes were canceled because the district, about 40 miles south of Marion County, received a “substantiated threat” on Wednesday morning.

“Our student’s safety is at the utmost importance, and we need time to investigate this matter further,” Faulkner wrote.

Valarie Honeycutt Spears of the Herald-Leader contributed to this report.