INTERNET THREAT EMPTIES EAST PRAIRIE SCHOOLS

EAST PRAIRIE -- An estimated 400 students were pulled out of school by concerned parents Monday in response to a threat posted on the Internet.

The spelling was poor; the punctuation just as bad, but the intentions of the threatening message were clear.

The writer, as yet unidentified, "wanted to scare people," surmised Kathie Simpkins, East Prairie city administrator, adding the message was probably placed "for attention as well." In the message, which appeared at 5:04 p.m. Saturday on the "guestbook" page of the city's Web site, the poster announced he or she was "going to come to the school on Monday to kill the kids," according to Richard Gregory, East Prairie chief of police. "They didn't say what school or anything." A guestbook page is a common feature on Internet web sites in which visitors are invited to sign their name and add a comment for other visitors to view after browsing the site.

According to Simpkins, an East Prairie police department dispatcher's relative in Florida contacted the department after seeing the threat.

After verifying the post, department officials immediately called Simpkins to remove the threat.

Gregory estimated the post was gone by 10 p.m. that same evening.

By that time, however, word of the threat had spread.

"As it was repeated, it became worse than what it actually did say," said Simpkins.

Gregory confirmed there was no specific mention of bombs, guns, or any other weapon or method of inflicting harm, but only a run-on sentence threatening -- "your kids better watch out there all going to die monday at school im comming to kill them this is not a joke" -- and ending without final punctuation.

Nevertheless, parents were quick to take action once the word spread.

"As the rumor mill ran, attendance dropped," said Jack McIntosh, superintendent for East Prairie schools, describing the reaction as "mass panic." McIntosh called the district's principals Sunday regarding the threat. They in turn arranged meetings with teachers Monday morning before school so precautionary measures could be initiated.

"We routinely take all this stuff seriously due to recent events," said McIntosh. "Every school does." As does the police department. "We consider it as serious as a heart attack," said Gregory. "We had a police presence with cars at all four schools." An officer was also assigned to walk the high school campus, he added.

Although the threat was not followed by phone calls or other subsequent messages, "other agencies" have been contacted and are involved, according to Gregory, with the investigation now in progress.

McIntosh said if all the absent students do not return to school soon the East Prairie school district "may need to increase the number of days," changing the last day from May 18 to May 19 or even "into the next week to make up attendance hours."