Threat closed Thurston High School

On the morning of October 25th, the Springfield Police Department received information from a Mental Health assistance hotline regarding a reportedly active threat to Thurston High School. SPD responded, began immediately investigating the threat, and shared this information with the Springfield School District. As SPD could not immediately verify the credibility of the threat, the decision was made to place Thurston High School in a lockdown status, while officers remained on site. A short time later, out of of caution and after discussion with School officials, several other Thurston schools were placed in lockout status.

As investigators continued looking into the threat, SPD, again, out of an abundance of caution, decided to remain on site and increased a visible presence at these schools. SPD worked with the schools to initiate a controlled release of students at the normal release time (today being an early release day for the district). The controlled release occurred without incident. Traffic in the area was also affected.

SPD is working collaboratively with the FBI to investigate the threat, which was received through an online platform. Not long after students were safely released from their schools, investigators learned that the specific threat made to Thurston High school is likely linked to other threats made to a number of other schools across the country. That information led police to believe the threat was less credible. The investigation is ongoing.