A police flyer distributed by the Keystone Central School District in Clinton County is causing quite a stir among parents. Officials say the flyer was sent to school principals, then somehow ended up on social media.
The flyer warns school leaders to beware of a man who authorities consider a potential threat.
Joshua Snavely was one of many students at Central Mountain High School, near Mill Hall, who left class early.
"There was a lot of people missing. There were only four people in my homeroom class today," Snavely said.
Officials in the Keystone Central School District tell us authorities sent a flyer to principals, warning them about a man who police say could potentially be a threat to schools.
The notice states that the man, who we are not identifying, was arrested in Lycoming County earlier this month for DUI. Troopers say at the time of his arrest, he made references to mass shooters. The flyer ended up on social media sites, and some parents say they pulled their kids out of school as soon as they saw it.
"I'm not taking any chances of something happening to my granddaughter. There's no way. I'd be hurting somebody, I don't know," Brenda Meskell said.
"We kept our kids home and made sure everybody we knew and were friends with had all the information we could give them to make a choice," William Wilkins said.
"I'm glad that my nieces and nephews are home but I don't know where my grandsons are so I'm hoping they're home. So it has you worried? Yeah it does," Bessie Engel said.
The Keystone Central School District released a statement saying these kinds of alerts are common in an effort to be proactive and keep the schools secure.
An official with the district said, "There was never a direct or imminent threat to our schools, and had there been, officials would have acted accordingly."
Many parents say it is better to be safe than sorry.
"We have to keep our children safe one way or another. If that means keeping them out of school until there's a reassurance that they're safe when they go to school," Jennifer Bilbay said.
Again, officials at Keystone Central School District in Clinton County want to stress there was never a threat made to any of the schools. State police say it is safe to send your children to class.