VALLEY PARK, Mo. – A teenage boy has been arrested for making online threats to students in Valley Park.
School administrators said the threats started circulating online Wednesday afternoon. Parents notified the district of the threats, leading the district to call St. Louis County Police.
Extra officers patrolled the campus, which includes Valley Park High School, Valley Park Middle School and Valley Park Elementary School. Police arrested a 17-year-old boy off campus Thursday afternoon.
Some parents kept their children home. Julia Felps said she did not feel comfortable sending her first-grader to school.
“I definitely felt like it was serious enough to not send my son to school,” Felps said. “You never know how somebody’s going to act. You never know how serious somebody is.”
The case will go to the County Prosecuting Attorney for review.
Below is the statement from the Valley Park School District:
A student is suspended and in police custody (pending charges) in conjunction with the online threats made yesterday. This person will be held accountable for their actions. We will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as they carry on with their investigation.
We believe that our campus and schools are safe and secure. However, due to the increases in activity and visitors tomorrow, we will continue to have additional police presence during the school day, at our Homecoming assembly, and at Homecoming events in the evening.
We thank you for your patience and understanding as we've dealt with this troubling situation. Situations such as these require discretion while keeping our families as informed as possible.
We want to thank all the students and parents who shared information to assist us. Valley Park is a wonderful community. We appreciate that everyone comes together in support of our schools.
Thank you to the St. Louis County Police for their quick and efficient response to this potential threat.
--Lili Schliesser, Valley Park School District
Director of Community & Public Relations
