COLUMBIA, Ill. — Police in the Metro East are investigating a shooting threat made by a student at Columbia High School.
"It's terrifying from a parent's standpoint,” Nathan Vineyard said.
Vineyard says his son was the first name on a “hit list” the student told others about at the school and on the video chat app Houseparty.
"The threat was made what type of gun would be used, what time he would carry it out to maximize effectiveness,” Vineyard said.
Vineyard says he found out his son was a potential target from police last Wednesday, and he pulled his son from school.
But he says the school district didn’t tell all parents about the threat until they sent an email Monday, five days later.
He says they left families in the dark for far too long.
“They should have notified students, should have notified parents,” he said.
“The school district immediately reported the social media threat to Columbia Police Department on Wednesday. The allegation of a hit list surfaced over the weekend. School officials learned of the ‘hit list’ allegation on Monday,” superintendent Gina Segobiano told 5 On Your Side in an email.
Vineyard says there has to be an open dialogue between administrators and parents to keep kids safe.
"We have to start at least from a communication standpoint getting the message out," he said.
He wants to know if the district will make changes to improve security at the school because of the threat, but he’s received few answers, he says.
The superintendent says the threat is a level three offense, and the punishment for that ranges from suspension to expulsion.
