Three arrests after school threats against sixteen schools in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Schools across New Orleans were on high alert Friday after a wave of new threats of violence, which led to the arrest of three students, including an 11-year-old, and escalating security concerns.

A total of 16 schools have now been affected by the threats that started on Wednesday. Two schools went into lockdown on Friday and another was closed.

New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick expressed her frustration at a news conference, noting that the number of incidents rose from 12 to 16 in just a few hours.

“I’m not a difficult talker. I’m not a cheap talker. But I’ll be very clear with you. We come for you. We have the ability, through technology, to track you down. You cannot hide under anonymity,” she said.

One of the arrested students cited bullying as a motive for the threat, NOPD Chief Ryan Lubrano said.

Crimestoppers reported a nearly 40% increase in tips about bullying in Louisiana schools this year.

“We’ve seen tips from children receiving messages like ‘kill yourself’ or burning pages. It can become extremely brutal,” said Darlene Costanza, president of Crimestoppers. “There should never be an incident where any of our students or our children have to deal with this.”

Superintendent Kirkpatrick believes the students making the threats are acting independently. While recognizing the serious problem of bullying, Kirkpatrick warned against adopting “copycat” behavior.

“This is one of those areas where you don’t want to play a copycat,” she said. “I’m serious, we can trace you and we’ll speak to all of you.”

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