Police have arrested a fourth suspect in those threats against several Pulaski County schools last week. But information about these arrests isn't dripping out. The cops are tight on this one--tighter than an E-string on a fiddle.
Which makes sense when you're dealing with minors in the criminal justice system. It could be that the public will never get names. And these kids will be allowed to live their lives without this stupid past week hanging over their heads. That's probably how it should be. No matter how many people were inconvenienced, even frightened, in the last seven days.
The first word came from kids who showed up at Sylvan Hills High in Sherwood, Ark., in the middle of the week, only to be told to go home. Parents and students started getting messages on social media, something about a girl--it was said to be a girl--making threats against the school and mentioning her experiences with a gun.
Next thing, the feds were involved and at least one more campus was shut down. Then somebody said threats were made against two other schools in central Arkansas. And rumors started that copycats were at work.
Lord.
The FBI isn't saying much, but what else is new? Local cops aren't talking on the record. Information in the papers is thin. But we feel safe enough in saying this much: If there was a credible threat, and the folks running Sylvan Hills High School and the freshmen campus didn't call in the cavalry--and there was a shooting or something similar--the public would have skewered the school and the district. For good reason.
As it happens, four kids (we think they're kids) have been picked up. And a number of students in the Sherwood area had to do schoolwork at home on their Chromebooks. That second part might have been an inconvenience, but it's not a matter of life and death.
Moral(s) of the story: Social media can get a body in all kinds of trouble. Consequences are sure to come, probably soon. And the school district, including the people running the particular schools in Sherwood, are handling this just about right so far.
Editorial on 02/18/2020