Social media trend blamed for rash of school threats

By AYAH GALAL, ROB POLANSKY

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    HARTFORD, Connecticut (WFSB) — Law enforcement agencies said they continue to investigate a series of threats that were made against schools in the state.

Three students were arrested for their alleged involvement in threats that targeted New Haven County schools.

At Eli Whitney Technical High School in Hamden, an increased police presence was expected on Wednesday.

In addition to being arrested, two 14-year-old boys face a 10 day out-of-school suspension.

They’re expected to appear in New Haven Juvenile Court on Wednesday.

A middle schooler from the Conte West Hills School in New Haven was the third student arrested.

State police hoped their message on Tuesday was clear that they take these threats very seriously.

Parents said they are fed up with the threats, which disrupted a week of learning at Eli Whitney.

Police said social media threats posted online led to lockdowns at the school two days in a row.

“Currently there’s a social media trend right now where juveniles are being urged to post this in essence to create a situation where they get dismissed from school,” said Sgt. Dawn Pagan, Connecticut State Police.

Troopers said they aren’t taking the threats lightly.

The two 14-year-old boys from Eli Whitney were charged with first-degree threatening, breach of peace and other charges.

The threats were posted on Instagram, according to investigators.

Communications experts said social media trends like these spread very easily.

“This really is a case of social learning, it’s a case of copycat behavior or modeling,” said Katie Place, associate professor of strategic communications at Quinnipiac University.

In New Haven, the 13-year-old student from Conte West Hills school was arrested for making threats against the middle school. The suspect was then released to a parent.

Hamden High School, which saw its own share of threats and violence recently, put new safety procedures in place on Wednesday after being closed Friday, Monday and Tuesday.

One of those procedures involved metal detectors, according to Hamden’s Board of Education.

The school reported that lines of students formed outside on Wednesday morning.

“Please remind your children to be patient as staff tries to ensure as safe an environment as possible for all the students,” the school posted to social media. “With time, and installation of new equipment, wait times should be dramatically reduced each day.”

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