School hosts community conversation about school safety

Shillington, Pa.(WTXF) - With school safety top of mind parents in Berks County flooded a school auditorium Thursday after hearing about a social media post from January.

A bitter divide among Governor Mifflin High School parents with some who want an example made of a 14-year-old who sparked rumors of an imminent school shooting Wednesday after sources say he posted a picture on social media wearing a ski mask with the caption "School shooter selfie."

"This boy is in class with my daughter and I felt very alarmed when I saw the photo that he posted on Snapchat." Cynthia Thomasset was especially worried about the threat which was deemed unfounded--following the high school mass shooting in Parkland, Florida that left 17 dead.

Investigators say they only recently learned the selfie was actually posted in early January and that has many wondering why officials did not speak up sooner.

"We determined early on there was no actual threat. There was no intent to carry out a threat," Berks County DA John Adams said.

The Berks County DA tried to calm any fears while saying the online post was a lesson for parents.

"This was not a threat it was an inappropriate use of social media. It was an inappropriate post," DA Adams said.

Investigators say the selfie incident never rose to the level where criminal charges would be considered.

It hits close to home for Laurie Andrus who has one child at Mifflin and a daughter that graduated from the Parkland, Florida school where the massacre took place.

"I met my daughter at the school and saw the 17 memorials.15 crosses and 2 stars and it was one of the most emotional days of my life," she said.