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Threat rumors lead to Livonia students being pulled from class
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LIVONIA - The superintendent of Pointe Coupee Parish Schools said rumors and "misinformation" about a possible threat caused some parents of Livonia High School students to keep their kids home or check them out early Thursday.
Superintendent Kevin Lemoine said there's no evidence a threat to the school was ever made, and blamed the absences to rumor-mongering on social media.
"Kids are not in school, they're not learning, they're walking the streets... (because of) irresponsible people with nothing better to do than play on social media all day," Lemoine told News 2.
The superintendent said rumors spread at Livonia High School Wednesday that one student made a threat to another that he would "shoot up" the school. Lemoine said the student denied making the threat and that they could find nobody who actually heard the threat take place, only people who heard the rumor.
Lemoine said he believes the rumor followed kids home that night and parents began spreading it on social media. That led to kids either being kept home or checked out of class early Thursday.
The parish sheriff's office said they are investigating the rumor of the threat and how it was spread. A spokesperson said arrests could be coming, but did not detail who could be arrested.
However, they are in discussion with the district attorney's office to determine what, if any, charges will be made.
The superintendent said they already have resource officers at Livonia, but they chose to increase security on Thursday anyway.
"This is a safe campus," Lemoine said. "It (the rumor) hurts everyone."
Although school officials are reassuring parents that it is safe for their children to return to school on Friday, Carolee Sims who has two children enrolled in the school said she doesn't want to take any chances.
"My children are not coming tomorrow. My daughter's in the band and they're not participating tomorrow," said Sims.
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