School leaders remind community: report threats, don’t repost

VIENNA, Ill. (KBSI) – Vienna school leaders are reminding students, parents and community members to report concerning social media posts rather than sharing them after a threatening post from several years ago resurfaced online.

Vienna High School Principal John Giffin said the post recently began circulating again after appearing in social media memories. The post was connected to a former student and raised concerns among those who saw it.

However, Giffin said school officials looked into the post and found no evidence to support a credible threat.

“We certainly want to follow that to the end and try to figure out what happened there and what’s going on,” Giffin said.

Giffin said the post appeared to be someone resharing or revisiting a previous memory rather than making a new threat.

Vienna Superintendent Joshua Stafford said the situation highlights the importance of reporting concerns to the appropriate authorities.

School leaders are encouraging anyone who sees a potentially threatening post to contact local authorities.

Students who encounter concerning content can also report it to a teacher or school resource officer.

Officials say reporting concerns allows them to investigate the situation and determine whether a threat is credible, rather than allowing rumors or old posts to spread unnecessarily.