Teen arrested in connection with threat at Helena High School

The school day started with students alerting counselors at Helena High and Capital High to a social media threat. We immediately reported the threat, which was circulating on the Snapchat social media platform, to local law enforcement.

The threat did not name any specific schools in Montana and was deemed non-credible by law enforcement. Helena Police Chief Brett Petty shared with us that this post was already on the radar of the Montana Analysis and Technical Information Center (MAITIC), an arm of the Montana Department of Justice that tracks and analyzes social media threats.

At the same time, students alerted staff at Helena High of a separate threat shared on Snapchat. This threat was specific to Helena High and came from a local source. It was an external threat made from off of the Helena High campus.

In response, the district initiated a “Shelter in Place” at Helena High – meaning exterior doors were locked and students and staff did not go outdoors – until law enforcement was able to locate a suspect. Police presence was increased at schools districtwide.

When police notified us that the suspect was in custody, the Shelter in Place was lifted and HHS students returned to their normal schedule for the remainder of the day.

Unfortunately, as a result of there being two school threats reported on the same morning – one credible and one not – a rumor started on social media. Posts claimed that a school threat reported by students at Capital High was ignored by school staff and administration. This was not the case.

The threat referenced at Capital High was in fact the national threat circulating on Snapchat that was deemed non-credible by law enforcement. The threat states that fire alarms will be pulled at schools tomorrow and that students will be targeted as they evacuate. I want to reiterate that this threat has been determined by law enforcement to be non-credible. There was no specific, credible threat made toward Capital High School.

All Helena Public Schools will operate as usual tomorrow. There will be increased police presence at schools throughout the district.

I want to thank all who helped us keep students and staff safe throughout our district today – law enforcement, school staff, parents, community members and students.

I especially want to thank the students who came forward to report the Snapchat threats. Supporting positive school environments, where students feel comfortable reporting concerns to a trusted adult, is one of the most powerful things we can do to protect our schools.

If you become aware of a potential safety threat, please report it to a school official or law enforcement immediately. If you haven’t already, please be sure to download the “Montana Cares” app from the Google Play or the Apple App Store. The app provides a secure, anonymous platform to report school safety or mental health concerns 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Today’s events speak to one of the biggest challenges we face when a school safety threat occurs: rumors.

It’s human nature for rumors to spread quickly, especially in today’s digital world. In times of emergency, please be sure you’re getting information from trusted sources, whether that’s district email or text communications, the district website, the district Facebook page, or updates from law enforcement.

When a threat is received, the first priority of staff at your school and our district office is the safety of students and staff. Our immediate actions are focused on working with law enforcement, initiating appropriate response protocols and communicating with staff. Once these immediate safety needs are addressed, the focus shifts to communicating with parents and the community, taking the time needed to ensure that we’re sharing accurate and appropriate information. This is in itself a safety precaution.

The issue of school safety is on everyone’s mind right now, and I understand how difficult days like today are for both parents and educators. Many of us here in the district office are parents, too, and we feel the weight of these moments just like you.

I will continue to make your student’s safety – and keeping you informed – my top priorities and thank you for your continued support.