Northern suburbs school rocked by shooting threat, weapon seized, school responds

Kids were kept home, police rushed to the scene, and a 14-year-old will appear in court. Now, the school has responded to a shooting threat that rocked its community.

The school at the centre of a terrifying shooting threat has finally responded, letting parents know the details almost 24 hours after the threat first emerged.

About 1pm on Monday, several hours after classes started for the day, and almost a day after the threat was first sent out, Playford International College principal Karen Bond responded.

“The department acknowledges the level of disruption, angst and distress that events of this nature can cause to students, staff and the wider school community,” she wrote in a letter to parents and caregivers.

“For the leadership team at (Playford International College) the safety and wellbeing of students remains the number one priority.

“The school leadership team continues to work closely with the SA Police, and has taken any advice provided.”

The threat post which was sent out about Playford, understood to be Playford International College, on Sunday. Picture: Facebook

Playford International College. Picture: Google

About two hours earlier a swift police investigation had identified the alleged perpetrator of the threat, a 14-year-old Elizabeth Downs boy.

They will allege the boy was the one who sent out a chilling Snapchat picture of a gun captioned with the works “shooting up Playford (International College).”

Police will alleged the boy was responsible for the threat, and also had a gel blaster firearm stashed away at his home.

In a statement, police said he was “reported for creating a false belief and possessing a firearm without a licence” and he that would face court at a later date.

The threat was delivered online via Snapchat and sent the wider school community into frenzy.

Playford International College principal Karen Bond. Picture: Facebook

After being contacted by The Advertiser a SAPOL spokeswoman said police were investigating the threat, but did not have “immediate concerns” for anybody attending the school.

Despite the lack of immediate concern, police officers were sent to the school grounds.

Education Department chief executive Professor Martin Westwell told The Advertiser the threat was being investigated and students were being supported.

“The school principal and leadership will be working closely with a range of support services to ensure the wellbeing of the student and wider school community,” he said.

“The Education Department and Playford International College are aware of the Snapchat post.

“They are working with police to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students.”

Several parents made the decision to keep their children home from school on Monday, while others picked their kids up after learning of the threat through social media.

Parents told The Advertiser they were concerned they had not received any correspondence from the school.

One parent described the hoax was a “sick joke”.

“It’s worrying that children post things like this on socials, even if they think it’s a joke,” she said.

“We see what happens in the world (and) American schools, and it is enough to cause concern here.”

She said she was thankful to finally be notified by the school.

In 2016 the school was the target of a bomb threat, also from an online post.

The online threat claimed a bomb had been planted in the school’s gym, where the Year 12 graduation was set to be held.

On that day, 200 students were on site when the school sent an alert about 8.15am to keep children at home and the students who were already there were evacuated.

The threat came just a week after Michigan State College in the United States was the scene of an horrific shooting in which three people were killed and five others injured.