GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — A mother shares why she kept her son home from school Monday after shooting threats were made to Green Bay East and West High Schools.
- Hear what one parent hopes the Green Bay Area Public School District does following the shooting threats made to two high schools Monday
- Police say three persons of interest have been contacted in their investigation
- All three are minors who live in the community
(The following is a transcription of the broadcast story.)
Police have identified three persons of interest after shooting threats were made at two Green Bay schools Monday morning. I'm Pari Apostolakos at East High School. Here, and across town at West High, there was an increased police presence Monday because of those threats. I spoke with one mom who kept her son home from classes, due to safety concerns.
"I feel like at this point East and West high schools are high risk schools," Tyesha Jackson said outside the Green Bay School District offices Monday afternoon. She tells NBC 26 she was not surprised to wake up Monday morning to the message that police are investigating shooting threats at her son's high school.
Jackson chose to keep her child home because of the increased police presence.
"It's a trigger. It is a trigger to me and it is a trigger for a lot of our students," Jackson said. "So, I felt way safer just to keep my child where he belongs."
Police say the three persons of interest they've identified in their investigation are minors who live in the community. Investigators first heard about the threats in the middle of the night from students.
"We always encourage students, even if it seems silly or, you know, they don't really think it's taken seriously, just say something, and we'll decide that part if it's to be taken seriously," Lt. Jena Luberda of the Green Bay Police Department said.
Luberda could not comment on any criminal charges that could be pending in relation to the investigation, but she cautioned students that all threats are taken seriously.
"Every time we get something that is a potential [threat] or kids talking about it or goofing around about it, we look into that, and the consequences can be devastating academically and criminally," Luberda said.
School administrators and police ask parents to speak with their students about what can happen if they make threats like the ones under investigation.
In light of what's happened, Jackson says she hopes to see the district be more proactive at the high schools.
"I feel like at this point we need to have more community members, more community leaders in our schools just to have another eye on what's going on in our schools," Jackson said.
Luberda says the threats made to East and West high schools are not related to the school shooting in Madison Monday.
The school district asks anyone with more information about the threats to call Speak Up/Speak Out at (800) 697-8761or crime stoppers at (920) 432-7867.
Tips can also be submitted online at 432stop.com.
