Another Valley child faces consequences of making school threats

PHOENIX – Yet another Valley child faces the consequences of making school threats, authorities announced Thursday.

A teenager was arrested Wednesday and booked into the juvenile justice system on one count of making a terrorist threat, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said.

The suspect allegedly threatened a shooting at Estrella Mountain Elementary School in Goodyear via text messages and online.

MCAO said it has received 11 cases involving school threats by minors since the start of September.

“What children and parents need to understand is that these threats are very serious, and we take them seriously,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a press release. “There’s much more to it than just ‘kids being kids.’”

Why school threats are a serious issue

Mitchell explained that the school threats, regardless of the intent or whether anything comes of them, can be highly disruptive.

“At a minimum, school days are interrupted because kids are sent home, or parents keep them home for a day or more,” she said. “At worst, an active threat can cause trauma that takes a long time to overcome. This is also a drain on law enforcement resources.”

Just since last week, two students were arrested for alleged school threats in the West Valley, a teenage boy was arrested for allegedly making mass shooting threats against 12 Phoenix-area schools and a 12-year-old Apache Junction girl was arrested for posting a school threat on social media.

In addition, a 12-year-old Buckeye girl was arrested Sunday for allegedly making a terroristic threat against a school in Wisconsin.

“Parents need to talk with their kids, monitor their online activity and help them understand that this is not a game. There are real consequences that can affect the rest of their young lives,” Mitchell said.

Follow @kstonezone