RRPS reassures parents after investigating online threats

RIO RANCHO — Parents and guardians of students in the Rio Rancho Public Schools district may have heard concerning whispers about online threats toward schools over the last several days. Well, on Tuesday, Sept. 24, RRPS sent out an email to all parents to reassure them that the district has investigated the threats and found them to be without merit.

“The Rio Rancho Public Schools Safety and Security Department, in collaboration with the Rio Rancho Police Department, is investigating every threat,” the district email said. “To date, none of these threats have been deemed credible.”

The message went on to say the district and RRPD found the threats to be largely concerning school shootings, which have seen a sharp rise in the last 10 years, according to a recent CNN analysis that documented 50 school shooting this year (between Jan. 1 and Sept. 19, 2024).

In addition to addressing any concerns from parents, the district thanked those who come forward in situations like this.

“Rest assured, the safety and well-being of our school community are our top priorities. We remain fully committed to maintaining a secure environment and deeply value those who promptly report threats.”

RRPS Communications Director Wyndham Kemsley told the Observer the message was sent in an effort to calm any fears and address any rumors that might be popping up, not to inform the community of a legitimate threat.

“The email was sent to parents in response to a recent social media trend that has made non-specific threatening messages regarding a potential school shooting scenario,” Kemsley said. “As far as we are aware, the posts are not targeting any specific schools and have circulated around many communities throughout several districts within the past week or so. We have received some reports from concerned parents, which is why we sent out the letter this morning.”

The district letter goes on to say even “not credible” threats are still serious problems and RRPS will seek out anyone engaging in online threats to schools, hoax or not.

“These threats are not just disruptive; they drain valuable resources and time, causing unnecessary fear and anxiety. The full force of our policies will be applied to ensure that our schools remain safe.”

The Observer could not confirm specific threatening posts against RRPS schools, but according to an NPR News article by contributor Charles Schulz titled, “Threats to schools force lockdowns and canceled classes in at least a dozen states” (Sept. 20, 2024), school districts across the country have seen a spike in the number of school-related threats.

“Law enforcement officials are trying to keep up as they have to assess each threat, from Oregon, where a school district closed for a day because of a Snapchat threat, to a Pennsylvania high school that was evacuated to allow for a security sweep,” Schulz writes.

According to Schulz, the rise in the number of threats coincides with a school shooting at a Georgia high school earlier this month that left four people dead.

The RRPS Safety and Security Department last shut down district schools in February of this year after a threat that was later revealed to be a hoax.

Prior to that, RRPS schools were shut down in 2022 after a student was found making threatening statements online. A bomb threat was also called in to Rio Rancho High School. RRPS and the FBI investigated the situation and found it to also be a hoax.

According to the FBI, “Issuing a threat — even over social media, via text message, or through e-mail — is a federal crime (threatening interstate communications). Those who post or send these threats can receive up to five years in federal prison, or they can face state or local charges.”

All pertinent threats were found to be without merit, and RRPS did not close any schools.