Threat of violence prompts many schools in Kansas City area to cancel summer sessions

After several districts canceled summer school for one day, a 19-year-old man from Blue Springs, Mo., was charged with making a terrorist threat.

A 19-year-old man from Blue Springs, Mo., has been charged with making a terrorist threat after allegedly posting an online message that prompted as many as a dozen Kansas City area schools to cancel programs and activities Wednesday.

The Kansas City Star reports that Treshawn Hardridge is accused of posting a mass shooting threat Tuesday on Snapchat. Law enforcement received an anonymous tip that led to the arrest.

After learning of the threat, the Blue Springs School District canceled its summer school and other school activities on Wednesday “out of an abundance of caution.”

Blue Springs is a suburb 20 miles east of Kansas City, Mo.

Following Blue Springs' lead, as many as a dozen other nearby schools and districts canceled their summer school programs and closed their early education sites Wednesday.

After the arrest was announced, the Blue Springs district said it had been given an “all-clear” to resume summer school and school activities on Thursday.

About the Author

Mike Kennedy

Senior Editor

Mike Kennedy has been writing about education for American School & University since 1999. He also has reported on schools and other topics for The Chicago Tribune, The Kansas City Star, The Kansas City Times and City News Bureau of Chicago. He is a graduate of Michigan State University.

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