The Davenport Community School District is working with the Davenport Police Department to address community concerns surrounding misinformation and rumors of school threats posted on social media.
With the academic year starting less than a month ago for Davenport schools, Chief of Police Jeffery Bladel said the department has received approximately seven reports of violent threats against the schools, four of which were within the past two weeks.
While the threats have caused questions amongst community members, the investigated threats have been deemed vague and non-credible.
"While we understand the concern these posts may raise, I want to reassure you that there is no credible threat of violence against any of our schools at this time," Superintendent of Davenport TJ Schneckloth said in a press release.
The school district and police department will continue to collaborate while this increase in threats is prevalent. Both advise that any threats found not to be shared and instead be reported immediately through the P3 App, the QC Crime Stoppers website or by simply calling 9-1-1.
"This is an important reminder about the power of social media to quickly spread misinformation and rumors," Schneckloth said. "We encourage you to talk to your children about the importance of responsible social media use and the dangers of spreading unverified information that can cause unnecessary fear."