Parents of Fairview School students are livid at what they say has been an effort by administrators to cover up a school shooting threat.
A 13 year-old student allegedly made the threat on Tuesday afternoon and was suspended for two days after the school investigated, but parents tell News/Talk 1130 WISN that the school did not inform them about the threat.
"We received no email, phone call, or notice that this threat happened," said one parent. "My wife and I originally found out about it on Nextdoor and began looking into it."
Another Fairview parent posted on the neighborhood networking app that he contacted the Milwaukee Police Department after hearing of the threat--which apparently specifically targeted his child--and that because the suspect has no guns in his home, the student was "simply shooting his mouth off to seem 'cool' and 'fit in.'"
"The school refused to tell any of the parents the exact details but they did tell us that it was a 13 year old kid who made threats to shoot up the school," said a Fairview parent who called the school after seeing the Nextdoor post. "When asked why parents weren't notified, we were told that it wasn't a credible threat because the kid didn't have access to weapons or ammunition at home. We were hung up on after that."
The parent told News/Talk 1130 WISN that he is keeping his child out of school Thursday as a precaution because of the uncertainty surrounding the incident.
"On Tuesday a student made a threat to another student," Milwaukee Public Schools spokesman Andrew Nelson said in a statement. "The families of the students involved were contacted. It was determined the threat was unsubstantiated, as the police determined as well. The student was disciplined per district policy.
"We take the safety of all students seriously and investigate any threat. We would have notified all families if the situation determined it was necessary. We have a responsibility to alert parents when necessary but also not to alarm them when an investigation determines there is no actual threat."