A 17-year-old admitted in juvenile court today he was upset over being suspended and e-mailed a threat toward Mishawaka High School last December.
The students had been out of school since December 17th, when the threats were made.
A Mishawaka school official told me today that the Superintendent is meeting with high school leaders today to get the message out.
On Thursday, Mishawaka High School students will return for in-person learning after Mishawka police had cleared the school to reopen late last month.
As students arrive back after several days of online learning and winter break, there is discussion happening on how schools and law enforcement emphasize to students how serious these threats can be.
"I think that the police have done a lot to be able to let the kids know as well as the families now this isn’t a joke if you do this there are going to be pretty dire consequences," said Ken Cotter, St. Joseph County Prosecutor.
The student who made the threat against Mishawaka High School admitted to one count of intimidation today in juvenile court. Another count of intimidation was dismissed as a condition to admitting to the crime.
Law enforcement is now calling on the parents to explain the consequences to their children, that threats like this are serious and have major consequences.
"Kids learn mostly from their parents about how to conduct themselves and how to live their lives and having that interaction with the parents so that the parents can talk to the kids let them know that hey if you make these threats it’s not just a joke you can have a very profound effect on other kids as well as the whole community," said Cotter.
The School City of Mishawaka superintendent met with school leaders today to discuss how they will address school threats with students when they return to class on Thursday.
The student who admitted to making the threat is due to be sentenced in juvenile court next month.
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