School was canceled in Grand Meadow, Minn., on Monday, after students and parents in the small town just east of Austin reported feeling troubled by a comment made to students playing an online video game.

Grand Meadow Police Chief Jim Richardson said the comments were not directly threatening, but he said he and school officials decided to take the statement seriously.

"That's our environment today," Richardson said.

The school closure comes less than two weeks after a deadly shooting at a school outside Des Moines.

Over the weekend, Richardson said a group of Grand Meadow junior high students were playing video games online while talking and sending each other Snapchat messages. At some point, he said, someone from outside Grand Meadow joined in the game and the trash-talking.

"I don't know what juvenile things were said," Richardson said. In the moment, Richardson said, the Grand Meadow students did not find the comments threatening.

Richardson said the video game players told other students about what was said. Parents heard and started talking, Richardson said, and then someone called the school district.

Grand Meadow Superintendent Paul Besel said he had hoped school could be open Monday, especially after weather canceled school in Grand Meadow on Friday. The district's schools are usually open on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Besel said.

Police investigated over the weekend, but Besel said he had a few lingering concerns on Sunday and made the call to close schools Monday.

"We're always going to err on the side of safety," Besel said.

Richardson said the police investigation found that the person who made the comments was a juvenile from outside Grand Meadow.

He said law enforcement planned to contact that person Monday. "To make sure everything's good, and make sure everyone knows how serious it is nowadays," Richardson said.

Richardson said he wanted to get facts to worried families later Monday.

"Hopefully everyone can take a deep breath," he said, "and get back to a somewhat normal day."