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Mayfield High School parents warned of 'rumored threat circulating on social media'

Posted at 8:05 PM, Apr 28, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-28 23:35:27-04

An email sent Friday to parents of Mayfield High School students warned of a threat posted on social media targeting the school.

The email from Principal Jeffrey Legan did not go into specifics about where the threat was posted or specifically what it said, but described it as “a rumored threat circulating on social media about alleged upcoming violence at Mayfield High School."

In response, school officials told parents police were notified and that they have taken precautions, including “an increased police presence on campus.”

Tenth grader Mikaela Shuster said she wanted to know more information.

"Should we be worried? Should we not be worried? Like, how should we feel about this?” she asked.

But parent Ann Thompson said the school took the right approach.

“I appreciate Mayfield taking the additional steps to communicate to parents, to heighten the awareness," Thompson said.

School security expert Ken Trump said school systems often struggle with how to properly communicate a threat to parents and students.

"The more transparency, the better," he said, "The more specificity, the better.”

News 5 has requested additional information from police and school officials.