Student removed from school after threat

ST. MARYS - Police removed a student from Memorial High School on Thursday after evidence reportedly was given to school officials showing the student had threatened others and claimed to have previously taken a weapon to school.

Superintendent Bill Ruane wrote in a statement that a high school student had come forward Thursday morning to share messages from social media between himself and another student. The other student reportedly had made threats to the student outside of school and had claimed to have previously taken a weapon to school.

Ruane reported that within minutes of receiving the claim, school officials had the student in their custody, where it was found that he did not have a weapon. The student reportedly admitted that he had falsely claimed to have previously taken a weapon into the school.

"We have no evidence that he ever did have anything in his possession," Ruane wrote.

The student reportedly was removed from the school under police custody.

"We have taken this claim very seriously and we will be taking appropriate action. We appreciate the timely reporting by the student body that helped authorities quickly address this matter. The safety and well-being of our students is our district's number one priority. Today's incident is a reminder of the importance of our district's practice using the 'See Something, Say Something' program. Our safety protocols work best when we all work together," Ruane wrote.