MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — Soulsville Charter School in Memphis has reopened after being closed for two days after a threat of violence was made on social media.
This threat comes a week after the tragic school shooting in Michigan.
According to a police report, on Sunday night, the school called MPD after being notified of a threatening message circulating between students and parents.
Since the investigation started students have been learning remotely.
Through an investigation, it was revealed the post was initially made on Instagram and then screenshot and shared via text.
The online message read “Monday I’ll murder all them (bleep) at Soulsville..”
Detectives then made contact with parents and students, trying to find the culprit.
According to a news release from Soulsville, police were able to determine the platforms upon which the message was created and reposted on Tuesday.
From there, the school said Homeland Security was contacted and it was determined the violent threat stemmed from an on-campus conflict between Soulsville students that was taken to social media and that’s when other non-students got involved.
Soulsville spokesperson Tim Sampson shared with WREG that an email was sent to families giving an overview of the situation. The email to parents said the comment was made during an argument on a private digital space by two children associated with Soulsville students.
With the threat forcing students to go back virtual for two days, Sampson said there will be mental wellness counseling offered and for the foreseeable future there will be added security.
“We will try to discourage students from trying to bring backpacks to school because they do have to be searched,” Sampson said. “If they absolutely need to bring a backpack.. they’ll have to put that in their locker.”
Derick Peeples, who lives near the school, said heightened security is the way to go.
“I believe it should be because due to a lot of kids out here.. you don’t know what they got,” he said.
Soulsville Charter School released this statement after the reopening:
“We would like to thank all Soulsville community members (parents, students, staff, etc.) who reached out about this incident and have supported the efforts to get to the bottom of the situation. Soulsville has always been a safe place to learn and grow, and you are doing your part to protect our community! We are also grateful to our local police station for their assistance with this matter.”
Memphis Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
