KC area schools have received at least 20 safety threats since fall. Here’s where
Friday’s shooting at Olathe East High School left three people injured—and students, staff, parents and community members shaken.
Lexi Smith, a 16-year-old sophomore at Olathe East, told The Star that she hid under a conference room table and worried that she would be shot.
“Everybody was freaking out. My life flashed before my eyes,” Smith said.
The incident at the Johnson County high school follows a rise in school safety threats around Kansas City this school year.
Since the fall, The Star has tracked more than 20 threats made to area schools.
Several students have been arrested in connection with these threats, which are commonly disseminated on social media. Some other incidents are still under investigation, or authorities decided the threats weren’t credible.
The threats against Kansas City area schools have included a number of shooting threats, a bomb threat and several other threats of violence and unspecified harm.
Here is a map of the locations of these incidents since October in the Kansas City metro. Click and drag the map below to explore recent school safety threats, and zoom in and out by scrolling or using the plus and minus signs.
You can read about each incident by clicking on the location marker at the corresponding school, and get more information by following the link to The Star’s coverage.
Do you have more questions about how schools are handling these threats, or other questions about schools or safety in Kansas City? Email us your thoughts and questions at kcq@kcstar.com or fill out the form below.
