Ridley High School reports no active threat after students receive blocked calls about 'hit list'

FOLSOM, Pa. (FOX 29) - Some Ridley High School parents say they kept their children home from school on Friday after their kids received a threatening phone call from a blocked number saying they were on a hit list.

Out of an abundance of caution, Ridley Township Police Captain, Scott Willoughby, says he came to the school Friday with a Detective Lieutenant and a large presence of officers.

He says this started with a "completely unsubstantiated" post on Facebook, but detectives handled the situation and spoke to approximately 20 people involved.

District Superintendent Lee Ann Wentzel says they found the threats not to be credible.

While students appreciated the safety outside the school on Friday, they still found the threats unnerving.

Jimmy Clyde, a junior, says his friend was one of the students called.

"He was all scared because he thought he was going to get shot, he was like this random number called me," he says. "I got really nervous and told my teacher."

Clyde's mother, Karen, says she also got a warning from that student's parent.

"She said her son had received one of these phone calls and he was really scared, I told her just to keep him home," she says.

One parent who asked FOX 29 to keep her anonymous said she kept her daughter home from school. She says she went to police before her daughter got the anonymous call, because she heard about the hit list rumors.

"School is supposed to be a safe place and the thought of any harm coming to her is very upsetting to me," she says. "I'm not taking any chances, it's not worth the risk for me."

School officials are urging people with concerns about this situation, or any potential threat, to contact them and police directly before taking to social media.

In a message sent out to parents, they said in part: "We take situations like this very seriously. We will not dismiss any rumor of violence without investigating it thoroughly with the police. There is no threat to the school. It is important to not allow gossip and rumors to disrupt our normal operations. Our school is committed to the safety and security of all members of the Ridley community."