OPELIKA, Ala. (WTVM) - Safety is at the top of mind for parents after a threat against Opelika High School led to an arrest. This comes as the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency kicks off its Teen Safety Campaign.
Opelika High School was placed on lockdown after a shooting threat Tuesday.
According to Opelika police, the threat was made via phone call saying they were "on their way to shoot up the school."
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency says the threat was made as they're participating in a Teen Safety Campaign.
"We have to continuously educate ourselves and make sure that we're aware of what the new threats are," said Lieutenant Jeremy Burkett with ALEA.
Burkett says a lot of these threats are made on social media and more teens participate in spreading the rumors due to peer pressure.
"Often times you may make decisions that you wouldn't normally make. That's one of the things we really encourage parents. Have those conversations with your teens," Burkett said.
Lt. Burkett says every year they participate in Teen Driving and Online Safety Campaign because they want to inform parents on teaching their teens about social media awareness.
"Overall it really goes back to making good decisions and that involves parents having the conversation with their children about things that they need to be aware of," said Burkett.
The Opelika Police Department says the threat was made by a 14-year-old from Montgomery who never intended to follow through with the threat. This proves why it is so important to start educating your teens about the consequences of their actions. Now a prank phone call resulted in the 14-year-old being placed in a juvenile detention center.
"Those are the things that come in on social media. Those are the things that influence the decision-making process and that's why it's so important for the parents to make sure they are one of the primary influencing decision-making processes for that child," Burkett stated.
Detectives are continuing to investigate the 14-year-old's connection to Opelika.