Noblesville schools closed following social media threat

Noblesville closed all schools Tuesday "out of an abundance of caution” after a video threat was received overnight.

School officials said they do not believe the threat is credible but are taking it very seriously, according to Noblesville Schools Superintendent Daniel Hile.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we are closing all schools today after a threat of violence was made toward Noblesville East Middle School overnight. While we don’t have reason to believe the threat is credible, we take every threat seriously and are working with law enforcement to fully investigate,” the district said in a statement.

Noblesville Schools in Hamilton County enrolls about 10,500 students across 10 schools.

The district made building safety and student mental health supports a priority following the 2018 shooting at West Middle School. A then-13-year-old boy shot his seventh-grade teacher and a classmate. The student was arrested and held in juvenile detention until his release as an adult a year ago.

Here is the full message Hile sent families:

In the middle of the night, we were made aware by law enforcement of an anonymous video posted to social media that made a threat of violence towards East Middle School. Our team has been working on this situation over the past few hours. While we do not have any reason to believe that the threat is credible at this time, we also take every threat seriously. At Noblesville Schools, safety is our top priority, and we are committed to taking appropriate action to protect the health and wellbeing of the students, staff, and community that we serve.

For that reason, and out of an overabundance of caution, I am cancelling school today, Tuesday, November 26th, for all schools. This will not be an e-learning day. Our team will spend today continuing to work with our law enforcement partners and other appropriate agencies to further investigate this threat, and also ensure the continued safety of every one of our schools.

I greatly appreciate your understanding and support as we continue working hard to keep our schools, staff, and children safe. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Thank you.

Noblesville Schools Superintendent Daniel Hile