Apparent threat to CASD a false alarm

Police: Clovis High School in New Mexico was target of Snapchat message, not Coatesville Area Senior High School

COATESVILLE » With growing concerns of school shootings since the Parkland shooting, police investigated a potential threat that turned out to be targeting an outof-state school.

A photo circulated on social media last Thursday night of a young male student holding a rifle with a caption stating he was “going out with a bang” and warning people not to go to school. The school was identified as CHS, which turned out to be in reference to Clovis High School, in New Mexico. When community members saw CHS, they became alarmed the threat was against Coatesville.

“There was brief concern that CHS might refer to Coatesville High School,” Coatesville Area School District Superintendent Cathy Taschner said on Monday in an email to parents and the Daily Local News.

Coatesville Area School District Police began investigating early Monday morning when they were notified about the photo on Snapchat. Taschner was alerted at 2:30 a.m. Monday about the incident.

“CASD Police and Caln Township Police immediately began investigating and notified me and our high school administration,” Taschner said. “Police quickly found the same threat was circulating in New Mexico and worked with police there to determine that the threat originated there and referenced Clovis High School.”

The unidentified 17-year-old New Mexico student was arrested on Friday morning and charged with the “delinquent act of aggravated assault on a school employee,” according to New Mexico police and media reports.

“We appreciate the vigilance of parents, staff, students, and our police department as we all work to keep our schools safe,” Taschner said. “We are grateful to our CASD Police and the Caln Township Police for their assistance and support.”

This threat follows the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

shooting in Parkland, Florida in which a gunman killed 17 people and injured 15 others on Feb. 14. Since then, students in that school and nationwide are calling for stricter gun laws and more security measures to prevent future school shootings. A national school walkout day on the one-month anniversary of the shooting lasted 17 minutes to honor the 17 victims killed that day.