Joshua Haiar, South Dakota Searchlight
Students who see a school threat on social media should report it to authorities, but those same authorities want students to know that sharing threats on social media could be treated as a crime punishable with prison time.
“Think about what you’re doing before you hit send or share, because any perceived threat is going to be taken very seriously,” said Rob Monson, executive director of the School Administrators of South Dakota.
He added that schools will always err on the side of safety if a threat’s seriousness is unclear, given the potential consequences of not taking a threat seriously enough.
South Dakota schools and law enforcement agencies’ responses to recent threats have involved locking down schools, evacuating buildings and launching investigations involving multiple law enforcement agencies.
“We will investigate every little thing that happens,” Monson said. “Kids need to understand that cops are getting called, and there are criminal repercussions. These are potential acts of terrorism.”
In South Dakota, making a bomb or firearm threat to a public school is a felony. The maximum sentence for anyone prosecuted as an adult — including minors, who can be charged as an adult in some circumstances — is 10 years in the penitentiary and a $20,000 fine.
A surge in threats
South Dakota has not suffered any fatal school shootings other than accidents and suicides, according to a database maintained by Everytown for Gun Safety and other online databases. But a school principal was injured in a 2015 shooting at Harrisburg High School, and a custodian was shot and injured at Enemy Swim Day School in 2018.
The current school year began with a school shooting in Georgia that claimed four lives. In the weeks since then, South Dakota schools have suffered a rash of threats and actions treated as threats. They ranged from bomb threats scribbled on bathroom stalls to social media posts depicting firearms aimed at students.
On Sept. 14, a bomb threat at Spearfish High School led to the evacuation of the building and the postponement of a volleyball game. No device was found.
A social media post shared by a Stagebarn Middle School student on Sept. 13 in Summerset — later determined to be non-credible — prompted officials to place all schools in the Meade School District on secure status.
In Sioux Falls, police investigated two non-credible social media threats this month. A third took place Monday, when Sioux Falls Police responded to Washington High School after receiving a false report of an active shooter, which was determined to be a hoax.
One of the more alarming incidents so far this school year occurred in Sioux Falls on Sept. 11, which resulted in a 15-year-old being taken into custody for making terroristic threats and possessing a weapon on school grounds.
Thinking twice
Following the Sept. 13 incident, Meade County Sheriff Pat West said in a press release that the widespread use of social media has made it easier for people to share inappropriate content, including threats of violence.
“Unfortunately these incidents are becoming all too common,” he said. “The world of social media and the problems associated with these different platforms allow for the exchange of too many inappropriate messages and photos.”
West said “REPORT, DON’T SHARE” should be the advice moving forward.
Rapid City Area Schools Acting Superintendent Cory Strasser shared the same sentiment. He said social media rewards content that gets attention, so it’s not hard to understand why an impulsive teen might share something shocking.
“Sometimes kids seek attention, and this is a way to do that,” Strasser said.
Strasser added that schools need help.
“Report it when you see these threats,” he said, “as well as communicating with students that these things are inappropriate, shouldn’t be done, and explain the consequences.”
The state’s role
Threats to schools are handled at the local level, said Brad Reiners, spokesperson for the state Department of Public Safety, in a statement. But the state plays a role.
Reiners said the state Office of Homeland Security, through its School Safety Center, provides free training and resources for schools to identify threats and provide intervention.
Additionally, he said the South Dakota School Safety Center works with school administrations and staff, mental health professionals, law enforcement and community leaders “to provide a holistic approach to school safety.” And he said the state Safe2Say tip line (1-844-373-7233) provides a way for individuals to report threatening or concerning behaviors.
Meanwhile, the South Dakota Fusion Center helps local agencies detect threatening social media posts and track the source to identify potential offenders.
The South Dakota Department of Education declined an interview request for this story. The Governor’s Office sent a statement reiterating Reiners’ comments.