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Student in Trouble for Threat in Danville

MAHONING TOWNSHIP — A teenage student is in custody after he allegedly made threats against students in the Danville Area School District. It’s just...

MAHONING TOWNSHIP -- A teenage student is in custody after he allegedly made threats against students in the Danville Area School District.

It's just the latest reported threat at an area school, less than a week after 17 people were killed inside a school in Florida.

Danville police and school officials assured parents Tuesday there was no threat, and it was safe to go to school. Even so, many parents were very concerned and did not send their children to school.

It looked like a normal school day outside Danville Area High School, but inside, one look around the classrooms told a different story.

"Attendance is down today, but we expected that, and we understand parents' concerns," said Danville Area Superintendent Jason Bendle.

Attendance is down because many parents did not want to send their children to school after a teenage boy in Danville allegedly threatened to shoot students.

"Local law enforcement led the investigation and communicated with me there was no imminent danger," Bendle said.

The superintendent utilized the district's automated calling system to inform parents of the threats. He also told parents it was safe to send their kids to school, but some parents felt there were more questions than answers.

"Does the school district know what I know, what my kids know? Are they taking this seriously? Take that on the heels of what happened in Florida just last week," said T.S. Scott.

Even though messages were sent out district-wide, some parents didn't feel those messages were clear enough and kept their kids home.

"The problem that the parents had, most parents had, they're seeing very concerning things on this side which weren't matching what the school district was putting out," Scott added.

Sharon Mausteller's granddaughter is in middle school in Danville.

"Some of the information was a little unclear. They just were afraid to send her to school. They talked with her and they opted to keep her home today," Mausteller said.

There was extra security at all Danville schools Tuesday morning to ease people's minds.

"The safety and security of all our students has been our top priority, and we have done this with that in mind and taken all precautions and taken the post seriously," Bendle added.

That male student accused of making the threat was taken into custody Monday night. He is at a juvenile facility in the Pocono area. The parents Newswatch 16 spoke with say since he is in custody, they feel better about sending their kids to school on Wednesday.

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