Text message has Hopkins school on alert

North Junior High officials reached out to parents after the weekend threat and the discovery of a gun last week.

By LORA PABST, Star Tribune

Last update: December 1, 2008 - 9:57 PM

A threatening text message sent to some Hopkins North Junior High School students over the holiday weekend has prompted school officials to reach out to parents, especially in light of an incident last week when a student brought a handgun to the school.

The text message spread quickly over the five days that students were on Thanksgiving break, but it is unknown how many students have received it, said Principal Pat Schmidt.

"All this came out over the weekend," Schmidt said. "Parents contacted the police with the message."

According to KSTP-TV, the text message said "Free dha bro ... headshots 4 dha snitchez a white dude at Hopkinz North named .... keep dhis goin pass ta everybodi." The station altered the message to remove names of students.

The message appears to be a reference to a 14-year-old boy who was charged last week with unlawful possession of a firearm after a handgun was found in his school locker. The gun was found when staff members searched the boy's locker after dealing with a discipline issue, Minnetonka police said.

The gun was not loaded, but the student had shells in his backpack, school officials said. No one was injured and it did not appear that the student intended to harm anyone with the gun, Schmidt said in a letter to parents.

The school had already made significant security changes after the gun was found, Schmidt said. Security personnel have been increased and the school liaison officer has been actively investigating the text message threat, she said.

Teachers at the school lead daily small-group meetings with the students that will be used to encourage students to talk about the recent incidents, Schmidt said.

She is also sending a daily e-mail to parents to update them on the situation.

"I'm e-mailing our parents every day to just keep those lines of communication open and ask them to talk to their kids tonight," Schmidt said.

Lora Pabst • 612-673-4628

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