HARDIN — All classes within Hardin School district were canceled on Monday due to a potential threat made over social media.
“It’s sad that we have to worry about stuff like that. It’s scary, especially for the children,” said Marie Austin, a Hardin resident.
Austin was watching her nieces and nephews on Monday afternoon for her sister, while the kids were out of school.
“It makes it even harder for parents because parents work jobs and everything. There was already a four-day weekend so adding on another day, which the kids are probably happy about, but for the parents it’s hard for them,” said Austin.
Hardin School District says the threat originated on social media. They won’t discuss specifics or the credibility of the threat, but the Big Horn County Sheriff’s office is investigating.
“We felt we were putting our students and staff in the best possible situation by not having school today, taking this moment, taking these 24 hours to let law enforcement do what they do. Let us rethink a little bit about how we might come back after a situation like this,” said Hardin superintendent Chad Johnson.
Staff still went to work Monday but schools were locked down and police were stationed at each building.
Other schools across the nation also shut down, including Hardin Middle School in Missouri, and Marion Harding High School in Ohio.
“Something like this would always be reported to local law enforcement,” said Johnson.
Late Monday the district did let parents know class is expected to resume Tuesday morning as usual, while police will continue patrolling.
