LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Authorities are sending a message to parents after arresting students across Kentuckiana for fake school threats connected to social media posts, saying these actions won't be tolerated.
In Jeffersonville, Indiana, police charged a 12-year-old middle school student for a post saying there'd be a school shooting, and Chief Kenny Kavanaugh confirms more arrests could be on the way.
The 12-year-old is charged with felony intimidation, and Jeffersonville PD has already submitted evidence to arrest another child.
"We're playing and we're making games of tragedy that occurs in our country," Kavanaugh told WHAS11 Friday. "We look at [the fact that] this occurred on the day of 9/11. That's really sad for this to happen."
Kavanaugh said his detectives knew early on there weren't any credible threats at either River Valley Middle School or Parkview Middle School, but he tells WHAS11 they weren't taking any chances -- and that includes making the effort to ensure sure neither of these students had access to guns.
The incident in Jeffersonville was among a string of fake threats across the region this week. Police arrested students in Elizabethtown and also in Marion County, Kentucky.
"I know it's an evil that is currently in our society, and I'd like to think that we can both make our schools more secure but also have a real conversation about doing something," said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday. "I mean, just doing something."
Kavanaugh said they're also investigating the adults who shared some of those social media posts instead of reporting them to authorities. He told WHAS11 that all this did was stoke fear and panic in the public.
Officials are putting some of the responsibility on the parents.
"Despite social media, what are your expectations out of your relationship with your child and your child not harming someone else or hurting society," Kavanaugh said.
Former Oldham County Schools superintendent Greg Schultz believes the key will be getting to the root cause.
"That child needs some intense counseling and needs to figure out why they even did that in the first place," Schultz said, who also referenced the impact the trauma has on other students, saying, "the brain does not function well when it's in a fearful state."
The Clark County prosecutor is reviewing evidence in the second student's case in Jeffersonville and will decide whether to pursue charges.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.