Teens Threaten Manalapan Elementary Girls On App, District Says

MANALAPAN, NJ — In the last week of March, several older teen boys communicated with at least five 10-year-old Manalapan girls on the app Houseparty, making threats of a sexual nature to the girls, and even threatening to "shoot up" Clark Mills elementary school on March 29, the principal of the school said.

"We received information from a few of our fifth-grade students that a threat was made to them on the app Houseparty," said Clark Mills principal Jayme Orlando, in a letter sent home to parents March 28. "The app is intended for use by students 13 years of age and older. The threats were made by older males. On this site, threats of a sexual nature were made towards the students, and we were told one of the males stated that 'he would come to the school and shoot it up on Thursday.'"

The girls got very scared and told their parents, school administrators said.

While the threats were found to be non-credible, the rumor that there would be a shooting spread through Clark Mills like wildfire, and many fourth- and fifth-graders were crying in the cafeteria at lunchtime on March 29, the principal said.

Manalapan police were called in to investigate, and they found the threats to be non-credible. However, Clark Mills was on somewhat of a lockdown on March 29, with students not permitted to go outside for recess that day and police officers patrolling the hallways.

The superintendent of the Manalapan-Englishtown school district sent out a second letter after the incident, sharply criticizing parents who let their children use social media apps like Houseparty. Houseparty, for example, requires that users acknowledge they are at least 13 before they sign on.

"Yesterday, because parents allowed their 10-year-olds to be on a website that requires a waiver for anyone under 13, an entire district went on alert," wrote superintendent John Marciante Jr.

"Remember when we would teach children not to talk to strangers?" he asked. "Now we look the other way while our 10-year-olds download the latest app that allows them to interact with anyone. Clearly, the teenagers who made those disgusting comments are responsible for what they said, but isn't every parent who is unaware of what their child is doing on social media responsible, too?"

After all, he added, "Do you really want your elementary school child playing with teenagers?"

Read the letters sent home by the principal and the superintendent:

Photo of Clark Mills via Google Earth