Law enforcement calls new wide-ranging school threats ‘non-credible’

MARYLAND – Safety concerns were spreading Tuesday morning as school districts across Delmarva reported seeing mass threats on social media. Local authorities spent the day reassuring parents their kids are safe going to class.

Worcester County Sheriff Matt Crisafulli said he had to navigate a maze of worried parents and county employees: “The question was verbatim from everyone. ‘Are we safe? Are we safe?'”

Threats of school shootings circulated on social media, telling students to stay home.

“We have seen it in Dorchester County. We have seen it in Talbot County. My school resource division team has been working on this all morning with our allied partners. And we also have the FBI involved,” Crisafulli said.

Working with other law enforcement agencies, Sheriff Crisafulli said their investigation determined that the threats were “non-credible” and part of trends that extend beyond the eastern shore: “It doesn’t specify any particular school, any particular location, and from what we are learning through our investigation is that this is a nationwide threat.”

Wicomico County Educator Craig Mitchell has seen the way these social media posts can sometimes take on a life of their own, saying, “We’ve got to be alert because social media is often our enemy and used to stir up anger, hatred and confusion.”

Accord to the Sheriff, the rise of social media has opened a whole new dimension as far as school safety goes. “As social media evolves and technology evolves, these threats are just–there’s mass amounts of them, and we’re constantly, constantly chasing them,” he said.