Juvenile arrested in alleged threat to Bob Jones

MADISON – The unsettling reality of threats to school campuses occurred in Madison during the week of Feb. 18.

Robby Parker, Superintendent of Madison City Schools, issued the following explanation in email and with social media:

“Dear Parents and Guardians,

Yesterday (Feb. 20), Madison Police began investigating a case at Bob Jones. The investigation was in response to a tip that came in through the school district’s anonymous tip line.

No weapon was involved. An arrest was made. At no time were students in danger.

It is an unfortunate incident, but we are grateful the tip line worked. We encourage anyone to come forward with any safety concern, whether there is a threat against others or an individual posing harm to himself or herself.

In light of all the recent school safety concerns, I wanted you to know and assure you that we are diligent in doing all we can to provide a safe environment for our kids. All of our schools have safety plans and those plans are under constant review.

Once again, the Text to Protect line number is 256-604-2345. Please make sure your child has this number programmed in their phone.” — Robby Parker

Police charged the juvenile in the Bob Jones case with “making a terrorist threat,” according to WHNT-TV.

“You may think it’s a joke … but someone is going to take it seriously,” Capt. John Stringer with Madison Police Department told WHNT. “All Madison police supervisors and dispatch receive a message sent with Text to Protect.”

Four other schools in North Alabama have received threats in recent days. Buckhorn and Central high schools had to deal with risks. At both Madison County and Albertville high schools, a student had a gun in his vehicle at school.

For more information about Text to Protect, visit madisoncity.k12.al.us. On the home page, scroll down and click the “Text to Protect” link.