2 Students Accused Of Making Threats Against Poughkeepsie Schools

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — A 15-year-old girl was accused of making a threat against Poughkeepsie's high school and middle school Tuesday night.

An investigation by the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department's detective bureau led to the arrest and mitigation of the threats against the school district.

Police said the teenager was charged with four counts of making a terroristic threat, felonies.

She was issued an appearance ticket for the Dutchess County Family Court and released to her parents.

Poughkeepsie police said it is continuing to work collaboratively with the school district on multiple fronts involving the safety and wellness of students and staff.

The department asked parents and guardians to monitor social media activity as well as internet use by their children.

"Early awareness, identification and action of questionable activities by children may help prevent further undesirable behavior," the department said. "We encourage anyone with information on school threats to contact us at 845-451-7577."

This arrest and charges follow the accusation that an 11-year-old girl had posted a threat on Snapchat that all schools in Poughkeepsie were going to be shot up, police said.

The FBI, shortly before 3 a.m. Tuesday, told the Poughkeepsie city police that the social media platform notified them of the posted threat and included the account and router information.

Later that morning, the 11-year-old was identified as the person making the threat. She was issued an appearance ticket for the Dutchess County Family Court.

The two incidents were not connected and both students will be subject to disciplinary action as outlined in the district's Code of Conduct, according to a district spokesman.

Poughkeepsie Superintendent Eric Jay Rosser said, with the identification of the 15-year-old, the school community is able to focus on rebuilding the culture and climate of both the high school and middle school. Students and staff will be returning to the high school and middle school for in-person learning Thursday.

"These social media threats have added to the complexity of a challenging year where school administrators, teachers and staff have been working extremely hard to acclimate all students back into the school environment," he said.

With the return of students and staff to in-person learning, Rosser said the district is working with the Dutchess County Department of Community and Behavioral Health to have crisis specialists at both schools, along with the district's own crisis intervention workers, to help provide support for students and staff affected by these threats.