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'We can't take any of these threats lightly': Hoax school threats strain districts, police departments

Data shows that between January and September, St. Louis County Family Court has prosecuted 27 juveniles charged with making terroristic threats at school.

ST. LOUIS — Two years after the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School shooting, a new crisis is gripping schools.

“I'm in the bathroom... I'm scared," said someone calling 911 on Sept. 25. He said he was a Ritenour High School student. “She said she has a bomb, sir, sir. Am I going to die?”

The call brought dozens of officers to the scene and paralyzed the school in late September. But police quickly uncovered the truth: it was all a hoax. The threat actually came from a teen more than 800 miles away. Among those terrified that day was freshman Kaniyah Luckett.

“My heart dropped. I was scared," said Luckett, a Ritenour High School freshman.

In two weeks, Luckett’s high school faced five threats on social media, according to a Ritenour High School spokesperson and St. Ann police. On Sept. 11, a Ritenour High School spokesperson said there was a social media threat at Ritenour High School and the student was taken into custody. On Sept.12, there was a shooting threat against the school. That led to the school to issue virtual learning for all students. On Sept. 17, there was a school shooting threat against Ritenour High School and the person behind the threat was found at a parking lot at Husky Academy, which is an alternative school in Ritenour. On Sept. 23 there was another school shooting threat at Ritenour High School, which came from an Instagram post showing a threat targeting the school. On Sept. 25 there was a bomb threat at Ritenour High School, which came from a 911 call from a teen based in New York with no ties to the high school.

The chaos disrupted classes, left students shaken, and made learning nearly impossible. Many now struggle with fear that the deadly shooting at St. Louis’ CVPA High School just two years ago could happen again, according to a Ritenour High School spokesperson and students we've interviewed. 

“I was having anxiety so I didn’t do any of my work," said Luckett.

Luckett is not alone. The I-Team uncovered a surge in school threats across the country. And Missouri is seeing the same alarming trend. The state’s school safety hotline has reported about 200 school shooting and bomb threats so far this year, according to Missouri’s Courage2Report Hotline, referencing data during the 2024-2025 school year ending Oct. 24.

"It’s hard for a community," said Sam Riley, a detective with the St. Ann Police Department.

Riley said he's seen a staggering fivefold increase in threats over the past year, a surge he attributes to social media. 

“And a lot of these kids think that they're making a harmless joke and it gets them out of school or whatever," he said.

His team works with social media companies, like Meta, to track down the people behind the threats and put them behind bars. St. Ann police officers said people convicted of hoax school threats go to the St. Louis County Juvenile Detention if they’re under 18 years old.

“We're in a time now that we can't take any of these threats lightly," said Riley.

He said they're threats that drain local resources, preventing police from responding to other emergencies. 

As threats escalate, so does the urgency to find solutions. The Ritenour School District has ramped up security, installing new weapons detection systems. But for Luckett, the fear doesn’t go away.

"What message would you want to get across?” asked Senior Investigative Reporter Paula Vasan.

“Stop bringing guns to school, stop bringing any weapons to school," said Luckett.

Putting an end to these threats really takes the community. Law enforcement is urging parents to keep an eye on their kids’ social media. And if you see a threat, report it to school officials and officers immediately, but don’t share it online. Authorities warn it can only fuel misinformation and fear.

We reached out to the St. Louis County Family Court for more information on the number of young people being prosecuted for school threats. A spokesperson told us state statute disallows comment on juvenile proceedings, even as far as confirming or denying whether a juvenile is charged and/or being detained. Data shows that between January and September, St. Louis County Family Court has prosecuted 27 juveniles charged with making terroristic threats at school. 

The nonprofit Sandy Hook Promise, which is focuses on gun violence prevention initiatives, told us in an email they’ve seen about triple the usual tip volume into their Say Something Anonymous Reporting System nationwide in the wake of the deadly September 4 mass shooting that occurred at Apalachee High School near Winder, Georgia. The organization said that its National Crisis Center counselors continue to follow protocols to gather as much info as possible to determine credibility and define whether any tips are "life safety" (meaning at least one life in imminent danger) to loop in the proper local teams for a response.

The superintendent of Ritenour School District, Chris Kilbride, told us in an email: “This fall, we have navigated through some challenging times as a school district. In the past few months, our schools have experienced several cyber threats that have disrupted the daily work of our school community. While many of these threats originate from national or international sources, some are local - including from students within our community.... Our community has shifted from amplifying threats on social media to using the appropriate channels for reporting, such as the Courage to Report line and the Ritenour Safeline. We’ve seen an 800% increase in reports to Safeline this year compared to last year... We also have strengthened safety measures at Ritenour High School (RHS) and Husky Academy by introducing OPENGATE® weapons detection systems... The new technology allows Ritenour safety personnel to screen for potential threats quickly and effectively."

If you are aware of a school threat, call 911 or contact Missouri’s school safety threat reporting system, Courage2Report, either online, by phone call at 866-748-7047, or by texting “C2R” to 738477.

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