WELDON SPRING, MO (KTVI-FOX2Now.com) -
A cyber threat targeting Bryan Middle School in Weldon Spring with violence leads to beefed up security at the campus and a former student being taken into custody. The school e-mailed letters to parents Wednesday explaining the situation- a situation that has left some parents worried.
"It was shocking," said concerned mother Kelly Vaughn after reading the e-mail.
Kelly's daughter Haley is a sixth grader at Bryan. The letter explained that a former Bryan student had made a cyber threat against the school's student body.
"You send your child to school everyday taking it for granted that they're in a safe place and then you get this e-mail coming over that there's a threat and you just don't know what to think," explained Kelly.
Investigators with the St. Charles County Sheriff's Department tell us the threat contained expletives and said the former student was going to get a gun and blow everyone's brains out.
It went on to say that the former student, a 14 year old, was serious.
Haley told us, "I'm scared. I just don't want anyone to do that to my school."
A current Bryan student received the threat on his myspace page over the weekend. He told school administrators on Monday who contacted police. Law officers took the 14 year old into custody on Monday before anything could happen.
Bryan principal Sue Hartman says she doesn't know why the former student would target the campus. She says he was not expelled and does not know why he would have any kind of a grudge against the school. Hartman is praising her current student for speaking up and possibly heading off any violence.
"He did the right thing. He took the responsibility of being a good school citizen and a good citizen," said Hartman.
The district is bringing in two extra security guards for the remaining week plus of school. There will also be extra sheriff's department patrols. Kelly is now watching her daughter even more closely.
"You just never know. People make threats and they can act on them or not act on them," said Kelly.
The school also has a resource officer on campus from the St. Charles County Sheriff's Department. Kelly was concerned that two days lapsed between when the school learned of the threat and when they e-mailed out letters.
The district says it was still gathering information and did not believe there was any imminent danger to the students and staff at Bryan Middle since the former student was in custody.
The former student was referred to juvenile authorities.
Nobody was hurt.
"It was shocking," said concerned mother Kelly Vaughn after reading the e-mail.
Kelly's daughter Haley is a sixth grader at Bryan. The letter explained that a former Bryan student had made a cyber threat against the school's student body.
"You send your child to school everyday taking it for granted that they're in a safe place and then you get this e-mail coming over that there's a threat and you just don't know what to think," explained Kelly.
Investigators with the St. Charles County Sheriff's Department tell us the threat contained expletives and said the former student was going to get a gun and blow everyone's brains out.
It went on to say that the former student, a 14 year old, was serious.
Haley told us, "I'm scared. I just don't want anyone to do that to my school."
A current Bryan student received the threat on his myspace page over the weekend. He told school administrators on Monday who contacted police. Law officers took the 14 year old into custody on Monday before anything could happen.
Bryan principal Sue Hartman says she doesn't know why the former student would target the campus. She says he was not expelled and does not know why he would have any kind of a grudge against the school. Hartman is praising her current student for speaking up and possibly heading off any violence.
"He did the right thing. He took the responsibility of being a good school citizen and a good citizen," said Hartman.
The district is bringing in two extra security guards for the remaining week plus of school. There will also be extra sheriff's department patrols. Kelly is now watching her daughter even more closely.
"You just never know. People make threats and they can act on them or not act on them," said Kelly.
The school also has a resource officer on campus from the St. Charles County Sheriff's Department. Kelly was concerned that two days lapsed between when the school learned of the threat and when they e-mailed out letters.
The district says it was still gathering information and did not believe there was any imminent danger to the students and staff at Bryan Middle since the former student was in custody.
The former student was referred to juvenile authorities.
Nobody was hurt.
