Security increased

Jay County High School had extra security on campus today in response to a threat on a social networking service.

Jay School Corporation made the announcement about the plans for added security Wednesday evening, noting an “unspecified threat” on social media. The increase was visible this morning, with a pair of Jay County Sheriff’s Office SUVs parked side-by-side in the high school parking lot.

The threat originated on Sarahah, which bills itself as a “social networking service for providing anonymous feedback.” There was extensive discussion about a rumored threat toward JCHS on Facebook on Wednesday evening, with one post indicating a rumor that a school shooting is planned for Monday.

Superintendent Jeremy Gulley referred to the threat on Sarahah as a “very general and vague threat toward the high school,” Details about the post are not being disclosed.

Because of the anonymous nature of the service, there is no name attached to the threat.

“We take every threat seriously and evaluate threats in partnership with law enforcement,” said Gulley on the Jay Schools page on Facebook. “We have concluded that school can be safely conducted without disruption.”

The threat was originally brought to the attention of JCHS assistant principal/athletics director Steve Boozier, principal Chad Dodd said Wednesday.

“When we get stuff like this, we bring the police in right away,” he said.

As part of the school corporation’s response, Dodd initiated a robocall to parents Wednesday evening to relay the statement about additional security that Gulley had posted on Facebook.

The high school typically has a school resource officer from Jay County Sheriff’s Office on campus each day. Additional law enforcement officers were at the school this morning.

“We will continue to monitor this concern and communicate with you appropriately,” Gulley said in the Facebook post. “As always, students and parents with information or concerns related to school safety are encouraged to contact school administrators or local law enforcement officials. We ask that everyone use judgement in what is shared on social media.”

There has been a rash of similar school threats in the weeks following the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that resulted in 17 deaths.

An Indianapolis Star story last updated Feb. 28 listed 18 such incidents in Indiana over a span of nine days. That includes the arrests of a 19-year-old Feb. 15 in Muncie after posting a photo on Snapchat with the caption “Don’t go to school tomorrow” and a 14-year-old Feb. 23 in Marion after he threatened to “shoot up” McCulloch Junior High School.

A Chicago Sun-Times story details an incident Sunday in which a 16-year-old Chesterton High School student allegedly hacked another student’s Facebook account and posted a threat about a shooting. And a Jay Schools official said Blackford County dealt with a school threat last week.