Parents upset after students arrested for sharing school threats on social media in NW Indiana

VALPARAISO, Ind. (WLS) -- Parents of Thomas Jefferson Middle School students are livid and are demanding to know why their children were arrested at school on Monday without their knowledge.

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Parents of juveniles arrested earlier this week met at the Porter County Juvenile Detention Center in Valparaiso for a hearing on Wednesday.

The investigation began last Thursday after a "possible threat of violence" was made to Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Valparaiso, Indiana.

Police said they found that the threat had no credibility within a couple of hours.

During Thursday's dismissal a student told a staff member that another threat was circulating.

"Out of caution, the staff member secured a few athletic teams in their respective locker rooms, which led to further conjecture about what was occurring and false information to be relayed," Valparaiso police said.

Porter County received multiple 911 calls, and parents began to arrive to schools due to "the misinformation and subsequent partial lockdown."

As police and school staff investigated the threat circulating on social media, they found a potential list of students that were to be harmed.

Police said six juveniles are facing criminal charges for their roles in creating and/or publicly sharing threatening information.

ABC7 Chicago spoke with one parent who said her son's name appeared on the list that was shared.

She said her son was arrested after 1 p.m. on Monday at school.

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She said she only learned of her son's arrest after she got a call from the detention center later in the afternoon.

She now wants answers from district leaders and authorities.

"I do believe you should be held accountable for your actions. I don't believe you should be able to go online and say stuff and just walk away," Jefferson Middle School parent David Stokes-Lopez said.

Stacy Howard's 13-year-old was among those arrested. While he is allowed to return to school Thursday, he is on house arrest for 30 days.

"Zay was on the list of the school shooter; so, he reposted it. Why can't he? We're just trying to figure out where the kid who made the post is at. Why ain't he here? Why are the other kids being hauled out? So, I heard there were a hundred kids that repost it. So, are they going to arrest all 100 kids?" Howard said.

Howard was also outraged by the way in which the children were detained.

"You're talking about 13-,14-year-old kids that are getting handcuffed in school in front of students and hauled off to jail without their parents knowing where they are," Howard said.

The investigation remains open and continues to be led by the Valparaiso Police Department in conjunction with Valparaiso Community Schools.

"VPD would further encourage parents and students alike to consider the danger of publicly sharing unconfirmed information across social media. Rather, we would like to stress the importance of notifying authorities immediately upon viewing such materials," police said.

Valparaiso Community Schools' Superintendent Jim McCall released the following statement:

"The safety and well-being of our students and staff is our top priority. We are committed to providing a safe learning environment for everyone in our school community.
We are grateful for the strong collaboration and swift action taken by law enforcement and our school staff to address this situation. We urge all students to continue to speak up if they see or hear something that makes them uncomfortable or threatens the safety of our school.
We understand that incidents like this can cause concern and anxiety among our students and families. Our school counselors and social workers are available to all students who may need assistance or someone to talk to.
We will continue to reinforce the importance of responsible behavior online and the impact that words can have. Thank you for your understanding and support as we navigate this difficult situation together."

It's not clear whether any of the six students charged have also been disciplined by the school.

The Lake County, Indiana Sheriff's Department also said Wednesday that two children are facing felony intimidation charges for allegedly making threats about school shootings this week.

The sheriff's department was made aware of a 14-year-old girl from Gary on Sunday, who reportedly posted a threatening comment to a TikTok video.

She was taken into the custody of the Lake County Juvenile Center and charged with felony intimidation. The account associated with the comment has been banned from TikTok, police said.

On Monday, a Lake County officer responded to a school in Lowell for a report of a threat of a school shooting that had been made on a school bus at about 3:15 p.m., police said.

An 11-year-old boy said he made up a rhyme about a school shooting as a joke, while on a school bus.

He said he had recently watched a TikTok video about people making threats against schools, according to police.

The Hebron boy has also been charged with felony intimidation.

"As sheriff of Lake County, I take all threats of violence very seriously. Anyone suspected of engaging in this illegal behavior, regardless of whether the threat is determined to be real, will face serious legal consequences.

"These types of threats can cause widespread fear and may also divert critical public safety resources; posing a potentially grave danger to the community.

"Please understand, these threats are not funny. They're criminal and they will be treated as such regardless of the age of those responsible," the Lake County sheriff said in a statement.

In nearby Whiting, the School City of Whiting had an e-learning day Wednesday, after school officials were made aware of social media posts referencing school shootings and school violence.

"The safety of our students and staff are always our first priority and we take every single report of a potential threat very seriously. Threats such as this are very upsetting to students, parents, and staff and disruptive to the school environment so it is always our priority to act quickly to ensure the safety of the school environment. The administration is currently working to assist the Whiting police department in their investigation of the social media posts. We are grateful for their quick response today and we applaud our parents and students who act quickly to report these types of social media posts to us," the district said.

The threats are among many that have circulated in school districts nationwide in the wake of the Georgia school shooting earlier this month.