Oakland Mills Threat Was a 'Joke,' Suspect Told School Officials

UPDATE (9:40 a.m.) — The person who threatened violence at Oakland Mills High School has been identified and is being dealt with accordingly, Principal Kathy Orlando said in an email to families Thursday morning.

School and police officials worked quickly to identify an individual who started a rumor online, and that person "indicated that it was a joke and that there was no intent to harm anyone at the school," Orlando said, adding: "...the school is taking appropriate action."

The full text of correspondence is below:

Dear Parents and Guardians: Early this morning I became aware of a rumored threat about the school for today, Thursday, September 1, 2016. We notified and enlisted the support of the police and the Office of School Administration. We immediately began to investigate by calling families, talking with students, and gathering information. I wanted to update you to let you know that the person who made the threat has been identified and the school is taking appropriate action. The person who made the threat indicated that it was a joke and that there was no intent to harm anyone at the school. Thank you for your patience as we worked to bring this to a resolution.- Kathy Orlando, Principal

COLUMBIA, MD — There may be more public safety personnel at Oakland Mills High School on Thursday after an alleged threat was made on social media.

Oakland Mills Principal Kathy Orlando sent a message to parents Thursday morning alerting them to the situation, which was described as receipt of a "non-specific rumor of a threat that was posted on Twitter about Oakland Mills High School."

Here is the message in full:

Dear Parents and Guardians:

This morning I became aware of a non-specific rumor of a threat that was posted on Twitter about Oakland Mills High School. School administration and police are investigating this matter. Out of an abundance of caution, additional safety measures are in place to ensure the safety of students and staff.

I will provide an update later today with any additional information.

Kathy Orlando

See Also: Teens Charged with Arson in Oakland Mills HS Fire

Photo by Wallstreethotrod via Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.