2 Pittsburgh-Area School Districts Cancel Classes Due to Threats

PITTSBURGH, PA - Two western Pennsylvania school districts canceled classes Monday after receiving threats over the weekend.

Classes were postponed in the Apollo-Ridge School District, which includes portions of Armstrong and Indiana counties, and the Blackhawk School District in Beaver County, which includes portions of Beaver and Lawrence counties.

According to a statement on the Apollo-Ridge website, “The district was made aware of a threatening statement made to a student via social media this weekend. Law enforcement was immediately notified and is currently investigating. While the message does not specifically reference (a) school, we treat it with every precaution.”

“We have been made aware of statements made on social media that have caused concern for many of our residents,” a notice on the Blackhawk website stated.. Local law enforcement completed a thorough investigation of the individuals responsible for the social media posts. The administration met with local law enforcement and we are in the process of determining if this was a credible threat towards the school...we are committed to school safety and as a result feel it is in the best interest of the students and the district as a whole to cancel school.”

Threats against schools locally and nationally have been on the rise since a Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Fla., killed 17 people.

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