State Superintendent Ryan Walters Responds To Increase In School Threats, Says Violence Won't Be Tolerated

School safety concerns are on the rise as threats spread across social media. Oklahoma City Public Schools says it has seen over a dozen reports of social media threats in the last few weeks, none of which have been deemed credible. 

State superintendent Ryan Walters says violence will not be tolerated. 

“Parents should not be put in that situation; kids should not be put in that situation. I want them at school getting a great education I want their parents to be at work feeling good about their kids going to school and knowing they're going to see them at the end of the day,” said Walters. 

“It's really sick that individuals have decided to target our schools and inject that kind of fear into our schools,” said Walters. “I take every single one of these very seriously.” 

Walters is working with districts and law enforcement to find solutions. 

“We've always got to be looking at how can we do even more to ensure kids are safe and that parents see their kids are safe at school,” said Walters. 

We asked the State Superintendent what conversations he is having with his kids at home, and what his advice is to other parents. 

“I understand that the drills might cause your kids to come home and ask questions, but we want them to be safe, but just be honest with them that the adults are trying to keep you safe,” said Walters. 

If a school gets a threat, OSDE leaves it up to local control on the direct response, but Walters says he still wants to be part of the conversation. 

“Ultimately we're going to give you the tools necessary, the resources necessary, the information necessary to make that decision there at the local level,” said Walters. 

“I will tell you with some of these threats we're dealing with right now the FBI is involved,” said Walters. 

The FBI tells us in a statement:

“Tips the FBI and our partners receive from the public are followed up on, and all threats made are fully analyzed and investigated to determine credibility. A full range of tools are used to mitigate those threats which are deemed legitimate. When an investigation concludes there was a false or hoax threat made to a school, a federal charge could be considered, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. State or local charges may also be applicable. As always, we ask that members of the public continue to contact law enforcement to report any potential threats or suspicious activity.” 

Walters is encouraging parents and students to report any potential threats to law enforcement, instead of resharing or reposting things on social media.