Some Edina students were sent home Wednesday morning as police “investigate the credibility” of two “concerning messages,” Superintendent Stacie Stanley said in an email to families.
Stanley did not provide any details about the messages but said they were left on Normandale Elementary School’s voicemail.
“For this reason I am closing the Edina Community Center (ECC), Southview and Concord campuses. This includes Normandale, Early Learning Center and Spanish Dual Language. Campuses will be closed, please do not drop your children off at any of these campuses,” she said.
Just last week, classes at Edina High School and Valley View Middle School were moved online after a 17-year-old boy posted a threatening video on Snapchat. In the video, recorded in the parking lot of the high school, the boy had a semi-automatic handgun and extended magazine in his lap. The video panned to the doors of the school as the words “come outside, b–” appeared on the screen.
The 17-year-old, who is not a former or current Edina student, was arrested Friday morning in Minneapolis and charged with felony threats of violence.
Update: Superintendent Stanley told families Wednesday afternoon that police identified an 11-year-old girl and 10-year-old girl who recorded the voicemail statements.
“The girls are not current or former students in Edina, and police have assured us that ‘there is no threat to our schools,'” she wrote. “All after-school activities will continue as scheduled, and classes will resume tomorrow across our buildings.
“I want to assure you that the safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our utmost priority. We take all safety concerns very seriously and I want to assure you that I will always err on the side of safety,” she continued. “While I am deeply saddened that this disruption occurred, I am grateful to have learned there was no immediate threat to our schools.”
