At least six school shooting plots were exposed just this month thanks to tips made by concerned citizens.
According to a 2020 National Institute of Justice report, over 51% of U.S. middle and high schools had tip lines deployed by the end of the 2018-2019 school year, with 12 states enacting laws that established statewide school safety tip lines. It is safe to assume that number has climbed since recent national data shows 71% of U.S. schools had a threat assessment team during the 2023-2024 school year.
One of the systems widely used is the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System, which was created by the non-profit Sandy Hook Promise. The name is similar to that of the widely-used phrase, “If you see something, say something,” which gained traction in the U.S. following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The Say Something Anonymous Reporting system was established based on research from the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service that proves recognizing warning signs is the most effect way to prevent mass shootings and violence. The program serves more than seven million students across the country.
RELATED ARTICLE: School Anonymous Reporting Systems by State
A study, published in the journal Pediatrics in Jan. 2024, evaluated the tips submitted through North Carolina’s Say Something Anonymous Reporting System, NPR reports. Researchers found there were more than 18,000 tips submitted through the system from 2019 to 2023, and 10% of those tips contained references to gun violence.
While there are likely countless school incidents averted due to various protocols and systems, such as threat assessment teams and social media monitoring, the following potential attacks were averted this month by tips from students, parents, and other community members.
Campus Safety previously posted two other iterations of averted school shooting plots:
- 12 Times ‘See Something, Say Something’ Saved Lives
- 10 ‘See Something, Say Something’ Success Stories
1. Unnamed Elementary School, Lubbock, Texas
On Feb. 2, 29-year-old Stephen Patrick Furr was arrested for allegedly threatening to shoot up an unnamed Lubbock, Texas, elementary school. FBI agents received an anonymous tip about Furr’s alarming online activity. He was taken into custody the same day after a more than five-hour standoff with SWAT.
“The foresight of a single tipster – coupled with the prompt action of law enforcement – may have saved dozens of young lives,” said Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad Meacham. “The adage holds true: If you see something, say something. You may help law enforcement avert a tragedy.”
2. McMinn County High School, Athens, Tennessee
On Feb. 6, McMinn County Sheriff Joe Guy received a call from a concerned parent who said he found a disturbing video recording of his son and another student. The pair were wearing masks and holding pellet guns as if they were firearms. They made statements about people who they felt “wronged” them and how they wanted to harm them.
Over the course of a few weeks, the parent had “become suspicious of some behavior that the child had exhibited,” Local News 3 reports. Both students were interviewed by law enforcement and gave statements indicating their intention to acquire firearms. They also did web searches for ‘explosives,’ ‘how to make explosive devices,’ and ‘how to acquire explosive devices.
“I can’t speak enough about how courageous that must have been for that parent to call me knowing there was a good chance he might get his own child in some legal trouble,” Guy said. “He just kept saying, ‘This is the right thing to do and I know if it were someone else’s child, I would want them to report if my child might be placed in danger.’”
3. Mooresville High School, Mooresville, Indiana
Authorities thwarted a potential Valentine’s Day school shooting after receiving an anonymous tip about a student’s plans to attack Mooresville High School.
On Feb. 11, someone contacted the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System stating that a friend had access to an AR-15 rifle, had recently purchased a bulletproof vest, and admired past school shootings. The system forwarded the screenshots and information to the FBI as part of their protocol.
Trinity Shockley, 18, was subsequently arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder and two terrorism-related charges.
4. Campbellsport Middle/High School, Campbellsport, Wisconsin
On Feb. 11, a school resource deputy assigned to the Campbellsport School District received a tip that two freshmen were making direct plans, comments, and threats to other students and staff at Campbellsport Middle/High School, according to FDL Reporter.
“We know that incidents like this can cause anxiety for students, families and staff,” the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a news release. “We want the public to be informed of this situation and emphasize school safety through the importance of telling an adult, teacher or law enforcement if there is a concern or threat of any kind. We are all working together to keep our schools safe.”
5. Madison Middle School, Madison, Tennessee
Two Tennessee middle schoolers were arrested after other students reported to Metro Nashville Police that the 12-year-old boys made threats in a social media group to shoot up Madison Middle School.
RELATED ARTICLE: 5 Ways Schools Can Encourage Students to Report Threats
While searching the students homes, officers reportedly found a toy AK-47 that resembled a real gun in a bedroom, WKRN reports. Multiple unsecured guns were also found in the residence.
Both students have been charged with threatening mass violence and making a false report.
6. Seminole Middle School, Seminole, Florida
An 11-year-old boy was arrested on Feb. 18 after the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office received reports that the student made specific threats to kill several students at Seminole Middle School.
Detectives say the student sent several photos to classmates holding handguns and threatening to shoot the students the next day.
The boy has been charged with one count of written threats to commit a mass shooting.
Bonus: Memorial High School, Houston, Texas
While this school shooting plot wasn’t exposed due to a tip, it emphasizes that schools and community partners need to employ multiple means for detecting threats.
Two teenage girls, ages 15 and 16, were arrested on Feb. 18 in connection with a mass casualty attack plotted against Memorial High School in Hedwig Village, Texas, a suburb of Houston.
The FBI’s Houston office shared that it first became aware of the alleged mass casualty attack plot through detailed posts on social media, which led investigators to deem the threats credible.
The 16-year-old suspect has been charged with making a terroristic threat as investigations continue to determine whether further charges will be filed.
