CONWAY, Ark. (KTHV) - A second arrest for social media threats to Conway schools forced city leaders there to reassure the public their kids are safe.
When 18-year-old Seth Stone got a $100,000 bond Monday it was hoped it would allay fears, but when word broke that another arrest of a younger junior high student, city leaders hastily scheduled a Tuesday news conference.
Parents across the city all expressed the same sentiment that the episodes were scary.
It started last week when Stone posted three photos and a video on Instagram. In at least one of them he used the hashtag #shootuptheschool.
On Tuesday, school officials said the younger student was arrested for being a copycat.
According to police, the two are not connected and the community needs to know the perceived danger is over.
"We've seen a lot of comments about children that are afraid to go to school, parents that are afraid to send their children to school," said Conway police chief Jody Spradlin. "I just want to put those fears at ease a little bit."
Prosecutor Cody Hiland reiterated that Stone's charges will likely be upgraded to making a false terroristic threat. He offered few details on the younger student's charges because of his age and privacy laws.
For school officials, attention turns to keeping future online threats at bay.
"I do think it's important for parents to have a serious conversations with their students about this," said Dr. Greg Murry, superintendent of Conway Public Schools. "Have conversations about what is posted and what is not appropriate to post on the internet."
Murry also pointed out an important thing to keep in mind as we let our kids loose on social media.
"Students do not always have good sense, quite frankly," he said. "They don't always make good decisions, like sometimes adults don't make good decisions."
Murry said the concern was so great on Monday among students and parents that they saw a 10 percent spike in absences.
A normal Monday sees about 94 percent school attendance, but Monday only 84 percent of students went to class.