Copycat threats to Washington Middle School circulate on social media.

Today, on March 14—which coincided with countywide National School Walkout Day activities—students from Washington Middle School began circulating an eerily familiar threat on the social media sites like Snapchat and Instagram.

The threat comes only two days after a threat written on the girl's restroom wall at North Salinas High School, which is in the same school district as Washington Middle School, began circulating on social media. 

At 3:27pm, Washington Middle School Principal Teri Lopez confirmed the threats were connected and that after an investigation by the Salinas Police Department, the person responsible for the original threat was in custody, in an email addressed to the Washington Middle School community. 

At 3:53pm, Salinas Union High School District Superintendent Dan Burns also addressed the threats in a letter to community members. In his message, Burns writes that "these messages have been circulated at schools in Salinas, on the Monterey Peninsula and throughout schools in the Nation."

Burns writes further in his letter that these repeated "copycat" threats are meant to cause "fear and disruption," but that local police are investigating them thoroughly. 

More information will be available to parents as the investigation goes on.