Authorities investigating similarities between Okla. school threats, superintendent says

ELGIN, Okla. (KSWO) - Authorities are exploring possible similarities between threats made to Elgin Public Schools Thursday and threats made to schools near Oklahoma City a day earlier, according to officials.

Elgin Public Schools Superintendent Nate Meraz confirmed local police were in contact with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation regarding the situation. He said the district is working with law enforcement to determine if this was an individual threat or related to ones made to other Oklahoma schools.

Both Clinton High School and Chickasha High School received threats overnight on Wednesday, forcing them to cancel classes or increase police presence, KOCO reported. Elgin Public Schools canceled all classes and activities Thursday after a concerned student reported a threat made on social media, according to a Facebook post.

Meraz emphasized the seriousness of the situation, asking for community help to find the perpetrator.

“There’s no such thing as a light-hearted threat,” he said. “It’s all serious. You’re disrupting our school day and you’re disrupting our daily lives and activities. There’s a heavy price to pay on it.”

That price was demonstrated last August, when schools in Wichita Falls experienced a similar situation. A 14- and 15-year old were arrested after separately making multiple bomb threats to five schools. Police said the teens, who could not be identified due to their ages, faced felony charges in Texas for false reporting and making a terroristic threat.