Student arrested after making threats against Lee's Summit Middle School on TikTok

LEE’S SUMMIT, Missouri (KCTV) — Officials confirmed Tuesday that a student was taken into custody after making threats online.

In a letter to parents, Dr. David Buck, superintendent of the Lee’s Summit School District, confirmed that threats against East Trails Middle School were posted on TikTok on Monday evening. Thanks to the quick work of Lee’s Summit police and the FBI, Buck added, the student in question “has been taken into police custody and is not in school today.”

Lee’s Summit Police confirmed that the post contained a detailed threat against the school, and the overnight investigation began to locate the student and his family before the student was taken into custody.

Although the student’s specific threats were not specified, Buck stressed that threats “even in jest” would be taken seriously and would result in “legal and disciplinary consequences.”

In the letter, Buck also advised against forwarding and sharing threats posted online, saying it slows down the investigation process because it makes it harder to find the source of the threats. Instead, he encouraged parents, students and community members who see threats to use SafeSchool hotlines or contact police directly.

Lee’s Summit police confirmed the arrest of one person and said more information would be released later Tuesday.

The full letter to parents:

Dear LSR7 families and employees:

Last night, East Trails Middle School and the district administration, Lee’s Summit Police Department and the FBI responded immediately to a threatening message posted on TikTok referring to that school.

LSPD officers have since identified and contacted a student associated with the post. That student was taken into police custody and is not in school today thanks to this quick response.

Earlier this week, we notified four school buildings of a vague threat on social media that police were unable to confirm. Threats like the one we responded to this week disrupt students’ learning environments and consume staff resources. Please help us make it clear to all students that threatening a public school, even in jest, carries serious legal and disciplinary consequences. We are handling this incident in full compliance with school policy and in cooperation with our police partners.

These situations underscore the importance of every member of our school community always reporting threatening posts or communications to our school staff and the police. We will continue to foster an environment where students, staff and families feel encouraged to report anything that may be suspicious or unusual. Prompt reporting is important so we can proactively maintain a safe school environment. We are grateful to the students and parents who responded so quickly this week.

Finally, if you see a threat on social media, please do not forward or repost it. Instead, take a screenshot and share it with our school administrators and police. Sharing the post makes it harder to identify the author and slows down investigations. Our SafeSchool hotlines, accessible through our school websites, are another way to share information confidentially with our school leaders.

Thank you for your cooperation, support, and patience as we make decisions to keep our students and staff safe. Please also help us thank our partners in law enforcement who work with us every day to support safe learning environments in LSR7.

David Buck

Superintendent

Student arrested after making threats against Lee’s Summit Middle School on TikTok

The full letter to parents:

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