UPDATE: Threats at McAlester High School being investigated

By Robin Dorner
Editor in Chief

Friday afternoon, a Facebook ‘rumor’ was circulated about Oklahoma’s McAlester High School LGBT students being “threatened with violence.”

The post went on to say, “The wrestling team started a petition to shut down the GSA [Gay Straight Alliance] and openly spoke of slitting throats or shooting them up.”

However, The Gayly spoke with McAlester campus police officer Chuck Campbell who said they had also received reports of these Facebook notes and messages being sent in to them and were being questioned If the reports were real.

“There are no active threats to any students, but we are investigating this information we have received about these allegations,” said Campbell. “The school was never on lock-down.”

Campbell said the wrestling team was not even at school yesterday. They were away at a wrestling meet.

“We take all threats to students very seriously,” added the school officer.

However, the mother of the student receiving these threats said, “That is in my opinion not accurate. I think they are downplaying a very serious situation,” said Debbie McDaniel.  

“The mother of the student making the threat initially dissolved into a puddle of tears when her son admitted this.”

However, hours later the mother and son had an attorney and their story had changed.

“Campbell is misinforming people. At 7:30 Thursday morning we met with school officials. The GSA official (art teacher) was asked to leave the room because this was a criminal situation.

“In that meeting, Chuck Campbell said he was going to interrogate a suspect in another room. He returned and said ‘ladies this is worse than we thought. The suspect will be removed from school property within the hour.’”

McDaniel does not know who the student was. She also said she was told by Campbell that cell phones would be seized and lockers would be searched. She does not know if that has been done by school officials.

The next GSA meeting at McAlester High School is planned for this coming Monday at 3:05 – city police plan to be present.

“If there is no threat, why do you plan to have officers present?” questioned McDaniel.

McDaniel is on the board of Oklahomans for Equality.

This all started over equality stickers being on the McDaniel’s daughter’s Jeep. Her daughter, Marley founded the GSA.

McDaniel has been contacted by higher authorities.

The Gayly - 2/20/2016 @3:54 PM CST