Safe Havens International
Yankton Schools in South Dakota were placed in a "partial" lockdown May 7 after police received a report of a threat made on Twitter. A 23-year old male allegedly tweeted that he "felt like shooting up a school today.”
Officers were sent to every school in Yankton, and the police were able to arrest the suspect, charging him with terroristic threats.
Analysis
Police later discovered that the threatening tweet was posted on April 17, nearly a month before. At the time, however, they acted as if the threat was immediate, which was proper.
Schools should already be in planning for how they will handle the numerous issues created by social media. Threats, bullying, rumors. The immediacy of social media means the problems they create will be immediate, and can quickly go "viral". Have a plan in place for when that happens and the national media get wind of the incident.
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