Elementary student charged in Cleveland school threat

CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WDEF) – An elementary school student is in custody after Cleveland Police say he sent threatening emails to a school administrator.

Cleveland City Schools were closed on Thursday due to this threat.

Cleveland Police say a nine-year-old boy has been charged with threats of mass violence on school property and harassment. 

They say that boy sent emails to a top administrator at Cleveland City Schools and named six unnamed different schools in the city.

That administrator perceived the emails as threatening and reported it to police.

Cleveland Police investigators were able to trace those emails back to the nine-year-old child.

Lt. Kody Fox with the Cleveland Police Department said, “It was a Cleveland City School student, and our investigators worked to make sure to make there were no viable threats or continued threats to our schools or our community, and there’s no reason to believe that is the case.”

This school threat is not the first situation this week.

On Tuesday night, a Hamilton County School Resource Deputy for East Hamilton Middle-High School was notified of a potential threat.

Authorities searched that school and found nothing, and classes were held there yesterday.

Law enforcement says both examples are examples of how complicated the response can be to these situations.

Scotty Hernandez, the Safety and Security Coordinator for Bradley County Schools, said, “We may not always understand the source or the message or the content of emails or social media or any dissemination method and things like that, so we want to take a look at all of those things.”

Bradley County Schools did remain in session Thursday, and the Bradley County Sheriff’s Department said they increased patrols at those schools.

Cleveland City Schools will resume classes tomorrow.

They say there will be enhanced security and counselors available for students who need them.

They are also asking parents to sit down with their children and teach about the possible consequences of what messages they send online.