MVCC

An AR Photo and a Bullying Revenge Threat Tagged Real Students -- Moraine Valley Raised Security and Called the Feds

Sunday, February 25, 2018ILthreat of violenceemergency notificationmedium confidence

Confirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.

On the evening of Sunday, February 25, 2018, a Twitter user named 'MoraineValleydies' posted a message tagged to several Moraine Valley Community College students threatening to kill them 'tomorrow' with an AR-15 after being bullied, accompanied by a photo of an assault rifle. The college declared the threat not credible and kept classes running Monday, but heightened security across all three campuses in Palos Hills, Tinley Park and Blue Island, and said students absent Monday would not be penalized. Federal authorities and campus police were investigating a person of interest by Monday morning.

Alerts: 1
Response: —
Killed: —
Injured: —

Institution

Moraine Valley Community College

Community College · IL

~15,000 studentsMVC Alert

Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmailLate evening of Sunday, February 25, 2018, after the tweet was discovered

Approximate reconstruction362 chars

Moraine Valley Community College is aware of a threatening social media message directed at some of our students. We are working with law enforcement and believe this is an isolated threat that is not credible. Campus security will be heightened at all locations on Monday. Classes will proceed as scheduled. Students who are absent Monday will not be penalized.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The Twitter account 'MoraineValleydies' posted a message that read in part: 'You and your friends bullied me!!! I can't wait to kill all of you tomorrow!!! You took away my soul I'm taking you guys lives! Me and my AR.' The tweet was tagged to specific Moraine Valley students and accompanied by a photo of an assault rifle.

The 'students will not be penalized for absence' clause is a notable campus threat-response tool: it allows the college to keep classes nominally open while accommodating the reality that some students and parents will choose to stay home based on their own risk assessment.

Context

Background

Moraine Valley Community College, one of the largest community colleges in Illinois with approximately 15,000 students, serves a large commuter population across three campuses in the southwest Chicago suburbs. On the evening of February 25, 2018 -- one year after the Stoneman Douglas shooting and during a period of heightened national sensitivity to school violence -- a Twitter user identifying as 'MoraineValleydies' posted a bullying revenge threat directed at specific Moraine Valley students, with a photo of an AR-15 and language referencing the next day. The tweet flooded campus police with calls from students and parents on Sunday evening. College officials determined the threat was isolated and not credible, kept classes running on Monday, and heightened security across all three campuses in Palos Hills, Tinley Park and Blue Island -- adding security personnel rather than canceling classes, a calculated response that declined to legitimize the threat with a closure. Federal authorities and Moraine Valley campus police were interviewing a person of interest by Monday morning. The college's decision to tell students they would not be penalized for absence represents a middle-ground communications approach: the campus stays open to signal the threat is not credible, but individual risk assessments are respected. The incident occurred during the same week that communities across the country were responding to the February 14, 2018 Stoneman Douglas school shooting in Parkland, Florida, making campus threat sensitivity exceptionally high.

Analysis

Key Findings

The tweet used specific student names as targets and included a photo of an AR-15, raising the threat's apparent specificity while the college ultimately judged it not credible

The 'no penalty for absence' clause is a documented communications technique that keeps a campus nominally open while respecting individual risk decisions by students and families

Federal authorities were involved from the start, reflecting the escalated national climate around school violence in the immediate aftermath of Stoneman Douglas

The college declined to cancel classes -- a deliberate signal that the threat did not meet the bar for closure, even under significant parental and community pressure

Outcome

The threat was determined not credible. A person of interest was questioned by campus police and federal authorities by Monday morning. Classes proceeded with heightened security. Absent students were not penalized.

Provenance

Sources

News
Twitter User Threatens To Shoot Moraine Valley Students: Cops -- Palos Patch
patch.com
News
'Person of Interest' Questioned in Moraine Valley Twitter Threat -- Palos Patch
patch.com
News
Authorities Investigating Twitter Threat to Moraine Valley Community College -- NBC Chicago
nbcchicago.com

Alert Sequence

Background

Key Findings

Sources

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