October 14, 2024

Update 9/19 10:15 am: Garden City Police Department investigate social media posts containing school safety-related incidents

Garden City, Kan.–The Garden City Police Department has released an updated concerning the circulation social media posts that warranted an investigation on Wednesday.

The Garden City Police Department is aware of a circulating social media post connected to our investigation on Wednesday, September 18, which contains statements and multiple pictures implying a school threat. This post resurfaced last night and has been shared across multiple social media platforms. At this time, the Garden City Police Department is not aware of credible threats against any Garden City schools, staff, or students, and we have worked with USD 457 school officials to notify parents and community members of our investigation. These social media posts appear to be part of a broader online trend being seen across Kansas and the country.

We encourage our community to remain vigilant, and when you come across any school safety-related post, please report it immediately to law enforcement. The Garden City Police Department and Garden City Public Schools take every incident seriously and will continue to partner to ensure the safety of students and staff and the community.

Original story:
The Garden City Police Department investigated social media posts containing warnings on Wednesday morning that contained ing warnings of potential school safety-related incidents and immediately began an investigation.

Through the investigation, it was learned that the social media post originated in Colorado and contained statements implying a school threat. The post then spread to schools and students in southwest Kansas including USD 457 Garden City and USD 443 Dodge City. Law enforcement has determined that there were no credible threats to the students, staff, or schools. While there is no connection to any schools in Garden City, the Garden City Police Department has worked alongside school officials to notify parents and community members of this incident.

The Garden City Police Department and Garden City Public Schools take every threat seriously and will continue to partner to ensure the safety of students and staff and the community. We encourage parents to remind your child to immediately report information about any school safety-related incident(s) to administrators/staff and/or the Garden City Police Department.