Ole Jorgenson Gym in Neenah's Shattuck Middle School Dec. 9, 2022. PC: Fox 11 Online
NEENAH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A student is accused of making threats that closed Neenah Middle School Wednesday.
During a news conference, Neenah Police Chief Aaron Olson and Neenah Joint School District Superintendent Steve Harrison did not offer any details about the student, other than referring to him as a male.
The case began Tuesday evening, when the district received information about a potential threat to safety at Neenah Middle School.
“The police department investigation revealed that the information pertained to a small group of students at the middle school and determined no other schools were affected,” said Harrison.
As a precaution, classes at the middle school were held virtually Wednesday. In-person learning continued as normal at all other schools.
On Wednesday afternoon, officials announced a person had been taken into custody in connection with the threats. Harrison later confirmed in his remarks that the suspect is a student.
“An arrest has been made of a student identified to be the originator of these social media comments. With this individual now in custody, Neenah Middle School will return to in-person learning,” he said.
Olson added, “Our officers and investigators worked continuously. Due to their hard work and dedicated work, the suspect was in custody in less than 15 hours. We are asking that he be criminally charged for terrorist threats, which is a felony.”
I want to be very clear: If you make threats toward other students, toward any school or toward a school staff member, we will identify you and we will take action. These threats are not a joke and they will not be tolerated.
For an added sense of security, Harrison said there will be an increased police presence at Neenah Middle School the rest of this week.
Authorities emphasized this threat was “completely separate” from social media comments made over the weekend that Harrison called “very concerning to us all.” After a detailed investigation, police determined those posts were “not a credible threat to physical safety.” The students involved in that case have been identified and are being disciplined accordingly, Harrison said.
He encouraged parents to monitor their children’s social media activity and immediately report any potential concerns.
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