Police: 14 threats made to Metro Schools this school year
Metro Nashville Police said six of the threats were called in by students.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The Metro Nashville Police Department said 14 threats have been made to Metro Nashville Public Schools this year.
The latest happened at Overton High School this week. Police got two calls from people that said there was an active shooting. Officers later determined it to be false.
Martin Luther King Jr. High School is another school that received a false threat this month.
“I texted my daughter to make sure that she was OK,” MLK High parent Pamela Burgess said. “That may have been a hoax, but that could have really traumatized a lot of families and students.”
Of the 14 threats made so far this school year, the Metro Nashville Police Department said they know six came from a student.
| Date | School | Type of threat |
|---|---|---|
| Aug. 14 | Christ Presbyterian Academy | Verbal threats |
| Aug. 14 | Wright Middle School | Written threats |
| Aug. 20 | John F. Kennedy Middle School | Social media |
| Aug. 22 | James Lawson High School | Social media |
| Aug. 24 | Head Middle School | Verbal threat |
| Aug. 24 | Antioch High School | Social media |
| Aug. 27 | Apollo Middle School | Social media |
| Aug. 29 | James Lawson High School | Verbal |
| Aug. 29 | Antioch High School | Verbal |
| Sept. 12 | Martin Luther King Jr. High School | Telephoned threat |
| Sept. 12 | Hunters Lane High School | Telephoned threat |
| Sept. 15 | McGavock High School | Verbal |
| Sept. 15 | East High School | Verbal |
| Sept. 25 | John Overton High School | Telephoned threat |
“I think they should be expelled,” Burgess said.
That is exactly what happens under district policy and a new state law that went into effect this summer. The law establishes a zero-tolerance policy for students making threats of mass violence against a school, resulting in a one-year expulsion.
“I do think students need to understand the true implications of their actions,” Burgess said.
The district’s website said during that time students will be assigned to an alternative learning center to carry on their students.
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Burgess said she believes families need to have conversations about the weight of their children’s words and actions.
“It has to be all of us coaching and mentoring students on the right things to do,” Burgess said.
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