Social Media Rumors Worried Pine Island Students and Parents
The Goodhue County Sheriff’s Department has released a statement concerning some misinformation spread by social media that has prompted concerns about the safety of students in the Pine Island School District.
A spokesman says the genesis of the rumors was a social media post made by a former Pine Island student who wrote: “I’m sick of this it is going to end.” After being alerted about the post early yesterday afternoon, deputies quickly identified the 14-year-old author and determined there was no threat to the public and the teenager was not going to harm him or herself.
The social media post continued to circulate throughout the day and resulted in rumors that indicated students were afraid for their safety and that escalated into a rumor that students feared there might be an act of school violence. The Sheriff’s Department and school officials investigated the social media postings and determined they were created by individuals who had been misinformed by other posts that were either forwarded or generated by others.
Officials stress that at no time was there a direct threat to the school and at no time was the school put into lockdown.