On Monday, March 6, PHS students were dismissed early from school after a threat was found in two boys bathroom stalls, which read, “I’m going to shoot the school Monday.”

Administrators and school resource officers immediately began investigating the threat. After students left campus around 11 a.m., police continued investigating and a K-9 unit made a thorough sweep of the building.

A student has been taken into police custody and the investigation is ongoing.

On March 7, another graffiti threat against an individual student was found written in a boys bathroom stall.

The first threat was found by administration on March 1 which was on the wall of a stall in a girl’s restroom stating, “I’m going to shoot the school.”

No weapons have been discovered on school property throughout these threats.

As a precaution, additional police presence has been on campus throughout the past week.

“I wanted to take a moment to thank the high school community for your patience and support as we work through incidents that have occurred in the last couple of weeks,” Head Principal Teisha Ashford said in a statement published on March 7.

“While we are not able to provide specific information regarding our investigation of this incident, security footage allows us and our police partners to quickly initiate and investigate a threat of this nature,” Ashford said. “Unfortunately, these types of threats lead to an increase in copycat threats. If these behaviors continue, we will consider additional measures.”

“We want to assure our community that safety is our first priority in caring for our students, staff, and visitors,” Superintendent Dr. Barry Nelson said. “We take all potential threats seriously and will always investigate them thoroughly with our police partners. We encourage parents/guardians to discuss school safety with their children. Please reinforce with your child that there are caring adults at school who are looking out for their safety. Encourage your child to share any concern with a trusted adult, whether that is you, a teacher, a school administrator, or a police partner.”

English teacher Jodi Moeller was disappointed about the situation.

“I was unsure of what was happening,” she said.

Senior Maichi Nguyen said that “looking back on it now, it was scary.”

Counselors are available at school for students who need support. If you have any additional information about the recent threats, please share that with administrators through the district’s QuickTip.

This is a developing story. PattonvilleTODAY staff will update this story as more information becomes available.