Two 14-year-olds made threats that prompted charter school to close, police say

MAGNA, Utah — Two 14-year-olds are suspected of posting threatening messages against students at a Utah charter school, prompting school administrators to cancel classes Monday at both its Kearns and Magna campuses.

The Entheos Academy sent emails to students and parents Sunday night informing them that classes would be canceled on Monday due to “a threat of a school shooting against Entheos Academy.”

Monday morning, school administrators updated parents on the situation.

“Last night, Entheos was informed by police of a shooting threat made to our Kearns campus via Snapchat, that was called in by a parent. The Kearns campus threat named specific students, and the families of those students have been notified. We were also informed of a possible second shooting threat made via Instagram towards a specific student at our Magna campus, and the parents of the possible target are also in contact with the police. As of this morning, the police have identified a suspect,” the school said in a statement.

The Entheos Academy teaches students in kindergarten through eighth grade at both its campuses in Kearns, 4710 W. 6200 South, and Magna, 2606 S. 7200 West.

On Monday, Unified police announced that they had questioned a 14-year-old boy in connection with the threat at the Kearns campus. Detectives say the boy does not have access to any firearms and they do not believe the threat was credible. The boy does not attend Entheos, according to police. After being questioned, the boy was released to the custody of his parents but formal criminal charges are pending.

Unified Police Lt. Shane Manwaring said a 14-year-old girl has been identified as the person believed to have made the threats against the Magna campus. The girl is a former student at the school. As of midday Monday, detectives were still trying to locate the girl, whom Manwaring said is a “runaway.”

Also, as of Monday, Manwaring said there was no known connection between the two 14-year-olds who made the threats.

“We truly appreciate the vigilant school community that we have at Entheos Academy. It was the alertness and responsiveness of a parent and student that brought these threats to the attention of the police,” the administration said. “To make a report at any time, you can contact the police, the school administration, or utilize the SafeUT app.

School administrators say they will make a determination later in the day whether classes will resume Tuesday.