In Farmington, reports of a school violence threat lead frightened parents to keep kids home and call for more transparency

About 40% of Farmington High School students stayed home Tuesday after social media reports of a recent shooting threat, but it was still unclear Wednesday afternoon whether any student had made a threat — or been disciplined.

Police and school administrators assured that the alleged threat wasn’t credible, but parents complained on social media about a lack of specific information.

In the aftermath of the deadly Michigan school shooting, the Farmington incident touched off anxiety in town and drove parents to say they don’t have enough information to know if the school is safe or not.

Educators, however, said uninformed social media postings were making the matter worse. The schools also reported that by Wednesday, the absentee rate had dropped to 8%.

The matter had many parents on Facebook calling for a public meeting where educators would say exactly what did — and didn’t — happen.

But that doesn’t appear likely; late Wednesday the school system issued a statement saying “We trust that our families and community understand that we cannot provide detailed information about any specific student or students.”

Farmington residents have been talking about school safety all week after a social media post claimed that a Farmington High student had been suspended — but then allowed to return to classes — after posting a threat to shoot other students.

Superintendent Kathleen Greider and police Chief Paul Melanson sent parents a letter advising that they’d found no credible threat to students’ safety.

“A threat was reported at Farmington High School this week which was deemed not credible by the Farmington Police Department after a thorough investigation,” they wrote. “We want to assure you that the threat at FHS was deemed not credible. Making matters more challenging at FHS this week, school administrators were alerted to social media posts exacerbating fear and concern.”

That letter to the district, and two more from Principal Scott Hurwitz to high school parents, did little to reduce the controversy.

“Rumors have been going around about what actually occurred, the parties involved, etc. Without having any sort of basic understanding of what actually occurred it’s hard to reassure our kids,” one parent wrote on the Talk of Farmington page on Facebook.

Jessica Martini offered a similar assessment. “At this point instead of protecting the privacy of the child who is in question, being vague has created an environment of fear and conjecture,” she said. “Someone needs to step up and either clear the kid’s name or tell the truth and get the kid real help because indoor detention has got to be the worst choice in light of the current environment.”

As of late Wednesday, though, the school system was not even confirming that a student had posted a threat.

Police on Wednesday evening sent out a statement that they’d talked to “people with firsthand knowledge of the alleged threat and determined it to be unsubstantiated,” but did not elaborate.

Educators said additional police were at the school this week “to provide an extra sense of safety for those who have expressed a concern.”

Hurwitz addressed students this week to say that counselors and social workers were available, and that the school regularly offers programs to bolster emotional well-being.

The school system said tensions are being fueled by social media postings that aren’t accurate.

“Concerns are understandable,” school board Chair Ellen Siuta said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “However, it is imperative to know that there has been considerable misinformation being shared and re-circulated by individuals without firsthand knowledge of the underlying concern, and most of this information is inaccurate.”

Educators and parents have been on edge because of the Michigan shooting and the impending anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre. Over the past several days, police in Hamden arrested three teenagers accused of making social media threats against students at schools there as Connecticut towns have taken varied approaches to dozens of threats of violence.