Two 15-year-olds have been charged with one count each of threats of mass violence, threats of bodily harm and disturbing classes and activities after allegedly posting a threat to kill someone at Walt Whitman High School on Twitter last week.
Officer Rick Goodale, a Montgomery County police spokesman, said the two juveniles posted to a Twitter account a threat that basically said they were going to kill the first person who walked into the school. The threat caused a sizable police response at the school on the morning of Oct. 14.
The student newspaper at Walt Whitman reported that officers left after they determined there was no imminent threat and the school opened on time.
Police did not release the names of the two individuals because they are being charged as juveniles.
“I think a lot of times when kids say stuff like this on social media, they may think it’s a prank or a joke or whatever and they may think they have anonymity hiding behind a social media account,” Goodale said. “Obviously, law enforcement is able to find out who the accounts belong to. We take these threats seriously and when appropriate bring criminal charges against the person.”
It’s unclear whether the two individuals attend Walt Whitman High School.
Dana Tofig, the spokesman for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), said MCPS does not comment on the status of individual students.
Tofiig praised how Whitman officials handled the threat by keeping the community informed and calm. The Whitman newspaper reported that Principal Alan Goodwin sent an email Oct. 14 notifying parents and staff about the threat.
“Unfortunately people do things on social media sometimes that can lead to serious consequences. That’s the lesson here,” Tofig said. “We hope that our students will be very careful about what they put online.”
