South St. Paul schools shift to e-learning after threat
South St. Paul Public Schools will hold an e-learning day on Wednesday after the South St. Paul Police Department received what it calls a 'threat of violence' directed at the district and opened an investigation. Police say they are in the early stages of probing a 'potential threat' but have not disclosed the nature of the threat or how it was delivered, while the district says it is working with law enforcement and is moving classes online 'to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and community.' The move comes one day after voicemail threats—later deemed not credible and traced out of state—forced a full closure of Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan District 196, raising fresh concerns that Twin Cities schools are increasingly shutting down or going remote in response to anonymous threats with little public detail. The FBI is already leading the District 196 case, but authorities have not said whether the South St. Paul threat appears related, leaving metro parents comparing notes online about what qualifies as a credible threat and how much disruption their districts are now willing to trigger 'out of an abundance of caution.'
📌 Key Facts
- South St. Paul Public Schools will operate on an e-learning day Wednesday instead of in-person classes.
- South St. Paul Police say they are investigating a 'potential threat' and describe it as a 'threat of violence' toward the district.
- The decision follows a separate out-of-state voicemail threat that closed all District 196 schools on Tuesday and is now under FBI investigation.
📊 Relevant Data
In Minnesota, Black students, who comprise about 11% of the student population, received 32% of expulsions and out-of-school suspensions in the 2022 school year.
Black students are still kicked out of school at higher rates despite reforms — MPR News
In a study of 157 school-referred youths for threat assessment, 43.4% had a history of being bullied.
Psychiatric Characteristics of Students Who Make Threats Toward Schools: A Preliminary Report — Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
In the same study, 52.2% of threat-making students had experienced traumatic family events.
Psychiatric Characteristics of Students Who Make Threats Toward Schools: A Preliminary Report — Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Threats to Minnesota schools are more than four times higher in the 2024 school year than the previous year, according to state data.
Data shows school threats are on the rise — ABC 6 News
In a 2024 study, averted school shooting plots most often involved suspects between the ages of 14 and 15, with motives including hatred toward others, grudges or revenge seeking, bullying, envy, and resentment.
An evaluation of completed and averted school shootings — PMC
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