According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, on Friday, February 9th, hundreds of students left campus early due to a social media rumor.
The rumor was originally posted on Facebook anonymously on the “Lake Country 411” group. The post said, “After hearing the news today about a threat to shoot up Arrowhead high school after school today, I feel like it’s my duty to speak up. A student overheard teachers talking about a student earlier this week who pulled a knife on a teacher and threatened to shoot people. This is not fake news. This is not a rumor. This was actually heard by staff of Arrowhead high school. What the hell is going on over there?”
Arrowhead High school staff contacted the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department when they heard about the rumor, according to the Arrowhead High School district Facebook post. The department investigated and did not find any evidence of credible threat against anyone at Arrowhead.
Since Arrowhead and the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department had no evidence of a threat, they did not issue a lockdown—yet many students left anyway.
Sophomore Macie Bularz says, “I was at lunch when the screenshot started going around. Kids started getting up, trying to get out of the doors, being loud and freaking out, asking their parents to go home. Cars flooded south campus and so many people left.”
Some Arrowhead High school parents and students say they wished the district had shared information more quickly; they described the students leaving early in a rush without signing out and that this just made the rumor seem more true and chaotic.
On Monday, February 12th, principal Adam Kurth of Arrowhead High school made an announcement for both campuses over the loudspeaker at approximately 1:45pm addressing the situation, telling students it was a rumor and they have no credible threat, addressing if they hear more about it to take it to administration.
