CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WJW) – All schools in the West Geauga Local School District were closed Tuesday out of an “abundance of caution” following a rumored threat on social media. 

According to Chester Township Police Chief Craig Young, the department is investigating a threat that targeted the high school.

This comes after an 18-year-old student was arrested Monday for bringing a gun to school.

Students at the high school were dismissed yesterday and police kept an elevated presence at all West Geauga Local Schools.

The district superintendent says there were no threats made against any of the buildings, although the West Geauga Middle School was placed on “shelter in place” status as a precaution.

“We continue to work with law enforcement to unravel details related to yesterday’s discovery by administrators and our School Resource Officer of a gun in West Geauga High School. I will be forever grateful to the student who found a bullet and reported his discovery to the SRO,” West Geauga Local Schools Superintendent Richard Markwardt said on Tuesday in a letter to parents and guardians. “I am also thankful for the swift actions of administrators and law enforcement who quickly tracked down and arrested a student with a gun in his possession.”

According to police, the social media threat is believed to be separate from Monday’s incident.

In Tuesday’s letter, Markwardt said that Monday at 7:47 p.m., he received a report of a threatening statement that was rumored to be posted on Snapchat.

“The person who contacted me had not seen the rumored post. Her information was at best third-hand, but such rumors, even those that have been passed verbally among several individuals, cannot be ignored,” Markwardt said. “I immediately shared this information with an officer from the Chester Police Department whose officers will be investigating the reported rumor.

Although the alleged post was directed at the high school, Markwardt said he thought it was best to close all district schools until police are able to fully investigate the situation.