10:31 AM: Thanks for the tips. West Seattle High School sheltered in place for a while this morning, less than an hour. Seattle Public Schools spokesperson Tim Robinson says it was because of a threat via social media. Seattle Police spokesperson Det. Mark Jamieson says police were initially called around 9 am and are investigating. No other details so far.
1:11 PM: WSHS principal Brian Vance sent this message to families:
I know that there have been a few incidents and media attention the past couple of weeks that have prompted communications home. Unfortunately, we had an incident this morning that I want to share information about. We are sending you this letter to update you on the facts and to assure you that we are doing everything we can to support our students.
This morning, it was reported that one of our students created a social media post with threatening content directed toward our school security team.
We quickly determined that the student who allegedly made the post was not in school at the time.
We worked with SPS security and the Seattle Police and decided to put the school in the shelter-in-place protocol. This happened just after first period began.
The student who allegedly made the threat was contacted by police and was taken into custody.
The shelter-in-place was lifted before the end of first period.
I continue to ask for your partnership in reminding students about safe and appropriate use of social media. Social media can take on a life of its own and comments that are perceived as threats or dangerous are taken seriously and investigated. The outcome and consequence of posts and comments can be unpredictable and has the potential to follow students for years.
Thanks to the parents who forwarded the note.
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