Delmar PD dispels rumors about alleged school threat

DELMAR, Del. –  Rumors surrounding Delmar Middle and Senior High School were circulating on social media about a possible threat. One that 47 ABC learned isn’t true.

“Everything is fine. There’s nothing to be concerned about,” explains Lt. Wade Alexander of Delmar PD.

Delmar Police is putting rumors to rest days after Delmar Middle & Senior High school briefly went on lock down.

“We had a concerned parent contact the police department. They had located a picture of one of their children dressed up in gang attire holding what appeared to be a handgun.”

A hand gun that ended up being an air soft rifle, but that didn’t stop police from interviewing the student that supposedly owned the toy gun, which was the reason for the lock down.

“There was no immediate threat to the school. The photograph had nothing to do with the school that the parent found. It was taken within their home.”

But that didn’t stop false rumors from spreading like wildfire on social media alarming parents that their kids were in fact in danger.

And since the school system only sent a vague robo-call, which only enhanced the rumors, parents ended up keeping their kids from school on Monday.
Many sharing their frustration with 47 ABC on Facebook:

One parent says, “Without communication from the school all we’re left with is “rumor”! And a good parent is going to do what they believe will protect their child.”

Another adds in part, “Some parents didn’t hear about any of this until this morning when a robo call said it’s going to be a normal day with police presence that was alarming. That is why my kids stayed home because that is NEVER a normal call I just knew something was wrong.”

And now the Delmar Police Department is just hoping to ease everyone’s minds.

“Children can return to school as it’s just like any other day. Nothing to be afraid of,” explains Lt. Alexander.

We reached out to the Delmar School District — on Monday for comment several times, but never received a call back.

Delmar Police tell us if there was a credible threat, parents would be notified through the schools alert system. And even though this incident proved to be nothing more than just a report from a concerned parent, police add that in this day and age they treat every possible threat as a credible one.