The Superintendent of the Spencer Van Etten School District says the Tioga County Sheriff’s Office has determined a perceived threat to a school discovered February 23 has no credibility.

On the District website, Superintendent Joseph Morgan thanks the Sheriff’s office, New York State Police and the school community for patience during the investigation.

The statement includes a summary of the findings that says district officials were made aware of an Instagram post shared on Facebook that claimed a student planned to “shoot up the school.”

Sheriff’s officials reportedly determined it started from an incident at school Wednesday when some children heard other students having a conversation about a recent movie about a school shooting and the massacre at the high school in Florida.

Apparently, in a classic example of the child’s game “telephone”, the original conversation became contorted into an assumption there was a threat to the Spencer Van Etten school.

Superintendent Morgan says parents, students and families are critical sources of information and “the responsible thing to do is to report any concerns related to school safety to the school or law enforcement authorities.”

While it’s been determined there is no credible threat, an increased police presence is expected at the district and counselors will be available for students.

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