Fond du Lac County School Student Questioned After Making Threats To School

The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office was alerted of a potential threat against an unspecified school by a student.

Early this morning the sheriff’s office was notified by the FBI that they intercepted a “school threat video” on a social media platform that had threats from the student.

The sheriff’s office immediately put a plan in place and the student was identified and is being questioned.

Working with the FBI, sheriff’s deputies were able to identify the student was a Rosendale Intermediate School student who spoke of this threat on social media.

A School Resource Deputy followed up with the student and it was determined another student had made the threating statement approximately 3 weeks ago.

Additional notifications to the parents will be coming from the Rosendale-Brandon School District through email. Additional deputies were present at the Rosendale schools this morning, along with a police officer from the Village of Rosendale Police Department.

The Ripon Police Department also assisted with student background investigative work.

The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office says they take all threats to schools and the safety of students seriously, and will investigate all threats to the fullest extent.

They want to remind parents and students that they should report any information regarding a threat, either literal or perceived, to law enforcement immediately. Reports can also be submitted through the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Speak Up Speak Out Wisconsin website at speakup.widoj.gov.

This is an email that was sent from school Superintendent Wayne D. Weber to parents today regarding the event.

Earlier this morning I was notified by the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office of a post on social media that was being investigated by the FBI. Based on the content and timing of the post, there was no belief that students or staff were in imminent danger. However, we take all threats seriously. Therefore, in an abundance of caution, I asked for police presence at our schools while the matter was further investigated by the FBI, county law enforcement, and school officials.

Upon further investigation, it was further reinforced that there was no immediate or specific threat to students or staff. However, as stated earlier, all threats are taken seriously and will be addressed accordingly.

Parents, please talk with your children about the use of social media. As a parent myself, I know the power social media has on children and adults alike. Please take time to remind our children that what is put on social media is never anonymous and can be interpreted by others in a variety of ways. Whether something is meant as a joke does not matter; talking about violence towards others is not appropriate. Additionally, if students hear or read comments about violence, whether they feel it’s a joke or not, they should report what they know to a trusted adult.

Again, based on the joint investigation conducted by the FBI and county law enforcement, there was no imminent or specific threat to students or staff.