9-year-old student identified as sender of email threats to Cleveland City Schools

As WCLE reported yesterday, Cleveland City Schools were closed yesterday after multiple threatening emails were received Wednesday night.

Yesterday afternoon, the Cleveland Police Department released a statement saying they have identified the sender of the emails as a 9-year-old male student of the Cleveland City School system. 

The student has been charged with threats of mass violence on school property and harassment. 

This investigation is still active and could result in additional charges.

Cleveland City Schools issued the following statement Thursday in response:

“Cleveland City Schools will resume regular classes on Friday, September 15, following a comprehensive investigation by the Cleveland Police Department. On Wednesday, September 13th, Cleveland City Schools promptly alerted the Cleveland Police Department regarding a series of threatening emails received by six of our city schools. We want to express our sincere gratitude to the diligent investigators from the Cleveland Police Department who swiftly identified the student responsible for these emails and determined them to be not credible.

“The safety and security of our students and staff remain paramount,” Director of Schools Dr. Russell Dyer said. “We appreciate the commitment of the Cleveland Police Department to ensuring the well-being of our community.”

Cleveland City Schools would like to thank the Cleveland Police Department for its rapid response, which has enabled us to return to normal operations. We are dedicated to providing a safe and secure learning environment for our students, and we will maintain our collaborative efforts with local law enforcement to achieve this goal.

Please take the time to have conversations with your students about the severe consequences associated with this type of online behavior. Our school counselors will be available to speak with any students tomorrow who would like to do so concerning this event. Thank you for your ongoing support as we work to ensure the safety of our students and staff members.”