Online threat sent to Burroughs High student not serious, Burbank police say
An online threat sent to a John Burroughs High School student before the holiday weekend doesn’t appear to be credible, according to the Burbank Police Department.
The threat, allegedly sent on Instagram, involved a person telling the student they intended to commit harm against her and mentioning they knew she attended Burroughs High. Police first became aware of the incident shortly after it happened on Friday evening after receiving word from the Burbank Unified School District.
Several students also reported the threat.
Sgt. Derek Green, a department spokesman, said there was an exchange of messages with the student and the person prior to the threat being made. He added it appeared the person who sent the message lives outside the state, and it is unknown how they know the student.
Although the investigation into the threat is ongoing, Green said Tuesday it doesn’t have any credibility and neither the student nor the campus was in danger.
Burbank Unified Supt. Matt Hill said the threat had no impact on classes at Burroughs High and all students were encouraged to attend school as usual.
Green mentioned that online threats and cases of cyberbullying are becoming increasingly common because of the prevalence of social media.
“This is nothing new as far as we’ve seen with this kind of behavior,” he said. “But we do take every threat seriously and work quickly to determine how credible the threat is.”
Green said a possible preventive measure to avoid cyberbullying and online threats is for parents to monitor their children’s activity on social media. By keeping tabs on what they do online, parents can intervene when their children talk to someone in a way they shouldn’t, he said.
Twitter: @Andy_Truc
