According to police, threatening Snapchat posts circulating on social media led to increased police presence at two high schools in Moore on Tuesday.

Moore police said the second incident prompted a curfew out of an abundance of caution.

The first threat made the rounds on Monday after 9 p.m. and was directed against “MHS”.

Investigators found that several other school districts, including one in Ohio, had received similar threats using the acronym “MHS.”

The second Snapchat threat caught the attention of Moore police because it specifically mentioned Southmoore High School and included the date and time of the possible shooting.

All of this led to a lockdown and early graduation for more than half of the students. “This is my first month out of high school and I’m already involved in a school shooting threat,” said Aiden Mills, a freshman at Southmoore High School.

That post showed a person with a firearm, referenced the nickname of the school’s mascot, the Sabercats, and threatened a school shooting at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday. “That puts a little bit of a higher priority on this and is why we quickly ordered a police presence at the time,” said Clint Byley of the Moore Police Department.

Shortly after 10 a.m. on Tuesday, the school sent a message to families alerting them to the threat and announcing that children could only be picked up with “extreme caution.”

Minutes later, cars were backed up on Santa Fe Avenue from the entrance to Southmoore High School to 19th Street.

“The closer I got, the longer the line got. Then I saw police cars and that’s when I got really nervous,” said Julia Taylor, Aiden Mills’ grandmother. “The line was long and I was nervous. And I’m sure everyone was nervous.”

Taylor pulled Mills out of school because of the threat. He says the school day was normal for the first two hours. “Then they locked down the whole school and kept us there for probably two hours after that,” Mills said.

He said that during the lockdown, school officials called out the names of students being checked over the intercom. “And it was just constant, they left it on the whole time and I think probably at least half the students were checked,” Mills recalled.

Mills said the situation was a sobering reminder of harsh realities he didn’t expect to face so early in high school. “I think about every classroom I’m in, thinking about what a possible escape route might be if there’s a shooting,” he said.

Moore police said the threat appeared to be fake, but assured the public they take every threat seriously.

The first threat related to MHS today also affected the families of Mustang High School.

News 9 spoke with a mother of a Mustang High School student who shares the same sentiments as families in Southmoore. “It’s just terrifying. It seems like there are these threats every day, whether it’s in our district or another one nearby. And you just don’t feel safe sending your kids to school, it’s terrifying,” she said. The mother asked to remain anonymous.

Mustang Public Schools sent a letter to parents this morning that said, in part, “…after a thorough investigation by MPS administration and the Mustang Police Department, we have confirmed that there is no serious threat to MHS at this time.”

Mustang public schools operated as usual, with increased police presence at the high school.

The state’s superintendent of schools, Ryan Walters, also released a statement on the increase in school shooting threats. His full statement reads:

“These threats will not be tolerated. The safety of our students is my highest priority, and our agency is coordinating its efforts with local districts and police. We are making all resources available and will continue to work closely with our partners to ensure the safety of our students.”

News 9 will continue to monitor the developing situation related to school shootings across the city and will bring you updates as they become available.

Moore Public Schools issued the following statement to parents:

Image provided by: Moore Public Schools