PLEASANTVILLE, Iowa — A student at Pleasantville High School is facing a harassment charge for threats made on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
Police say that school administrators first found out about the threats at the end of the school day Wednesday, and law enforcement became involved in the investigation due to "an abundance of caution and concern for safety".
Administrators and police detained the student on the school premises and questioned the minor at the police station.
The student was then charged as a juvenile with Harassment in the First Degre. It is unclear if the student will face any disciplinary actions from the school as well.
Police and district personnel believe there is no ongoing threat to students or staff at any of the Pleasantville Community School District buildings, though they encouraged parents to talk to their kids about situations like this and their potential severity.
Read the full press release below:
This is far from the first threat at Iowa schools in the last week, with incidents at the Perry Community School District and a speech event at Ankeny Centennial High School in the past week alone. Both situations were deemed "not credible" after law enforcement investigated.
On Monday, Jan. 5, there were reports of a swatting call at Lincoln High School. That was reportedly found to be fake in less than one minute.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety says the state has seen a "significant uptick" in the number of swatting calls, defined as calls that falsely report an impending threat, in recent years.
State lawmakers are looking to make penalties for these threats even harsher — a bill proposed by the House Public Safety Committee aims to categorize swatting calls as a felony offense, rather than a misdemeanor, in the state of Iowa.
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