By CESAR JOLITO III

Classes at St. John’s Institute in Bacolod City temporarily shifted to online learning yesterday morning, March 12, after a Facebook post containing a mass shooting threat against students circulated online, prompting concern among parents and school officials.

Bacolod Police Station 2 chief, Police Major Eugene Tolentino, confirmed that law enforcement is verifying the authenticity of the screenshot of the threatening post.

Investigators are determining whether the post is newly created or merely a repost and are tracing its origin.

Tolentino clarified that the threat does not appear to be related to any previous issue involving the school.

However, the post reportedly warned of a possible mass shooting targeting students if the institution did not revert to online classes.

Police have already identified several persons of interest who will be invited for questioning as part of the ongoing investigation.

Meanwhile, authorities said additional police personnel have been deployed around the school premises to ensure the safety of students once face-to-face classes resume.

School management decided to send students home and conduct classes online as a precautionary measure while the threat is being assessed.

Meanwhile, later in the afternoon, police announced that the reported threat had been investigated and determined to be false.

In a statement posted on the school’s official Facebook page, Mariedel Isulat, principal of St. John’s Institute, assured parents and students that the situation is under control and that necessary measures were taken to ensure the safety of the school community.

“Everything is under control, and we remain committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, teachers and staff,” the statement said.

The school also confirmed that onsite classes will resume on Friday, March 13./CJ, WDJ