Amherst Police were at Sweet Home Middle and High School Monday morning after a threat was posted on Facebook.
Amherst Police say they have identified a suspect responsible for a making a Facebook threat against students at the Middle School.
The unidentified suspect apparently hacked someone else's account, saying that they planned on bringing a weapon to into the building on Maple Road.
Amherst Police Captain Michael Cammerilli said the threat did not appear credible, but authorities and school officials were taking no chances.
"We had several officers at the high school and the middle school to assist school officials with making the school safe," said Cammerilli.
WBFO News was in touch with the Sweet Home Central School District. Schools superintendent Anthony Day issued a recorded robo-call message to parents. He stated that Sunday night, school and police officials identified an unauthorized posting or hacking into a Middle School students Facebook page.
"The post made reference to a student bringing a weapon to school and using it on others. Word of the post quickly spread and has created considerable fear and anxiety amongst our school community. The Amherst Police have identified and interviewed several students named in the post and their families. They believe that these students have no knowledge or involvement in this situation," said Daly.
At this point, the District does not believe the threat is credible, however, they took precautions Monday morning with extra police set up at the school.
Police conducted a search of students' bookbags and other items as they entered the school. Don Feldemann a spokesman for the district tells WBFO News "no threat" was found.
The following is the full statement issued by superintendent Daly:
Last night, school and police officials identified an unauthorized posting- or "hacking" - onto a Middle School student's Facebook page. The post made reference to a student bringing a weapon to school and using it on others. Word of the post quickly spread and has created considerable fear and anxiety amongst our school community.
The Amherst Police have identified and interviewed several students named in the post and their families. They believe that these students have no knowledge or involvement in this situation.
At this time, we do not believe the threat is credible but we will be taking additional precautions this morning anyways. We will have extra police presence on our Middle School campus this morning. Our staff will be informed and remain vigilant throughout the day. We will also conduct a search of all Middle School students' bookbags as they enter the building to ensure that no weapon comes through our doors.
School will be open this morning and safe for our kids. We are working closely with the Amherst police to take those steps we feel are necessary to protect the welfare of our students. Successfully investigating instances of Facebook "hacking" is difficult but we are committed to cooperating with law enforcement to identify the guilty party and prosecute that person to the fullest extent of the law.
Anthony J. Day
Superintendent of Schools