Authorities from the Wright City Police Department worked alongside Wright City R-II School District Tuesday to investigate a rumor of a potential shooting threat that seems to have been unfounded, school officials said.Superintendent Dr. David Buck said he was contacted by Wright City Middle School Principal Doug Smith just before 9 a.m. Smith reported that a rumor was spread about two students having made a social media post threatening to shoot up the school.The Wright City Police Department responded immediately and the school was put on a modified lockdown, meaning students were allowed to move from classroom to classroom within the building but entering the building was prohibited. It was determined that one of the students alleged to have made the threat was in school and the other not in attendance. Both students were located and taken into juvenile custody for questioning."We appreciate the police department acting swiftly and being present. They worked very positively with the kids,” said Buck.The lockdown was lifted at 11:12 a.m. and building operations resumed as normal, with a police presence remaining. By the afternoon, school officials said the rumor of a threat appeared to be unfounded.Both students have since been released and face no disciplinary action because they didn't do anything wrong, Buck said. A law enforcement search of their devices and social media revealed no threats.Authorities interviewing dozens of students were not able to find anyone who  personally saw the social media threat. One student told investigators they had read a social media post unconnected to the school or any Wright City students, and told several friends about it, according to a public statement sent out around 2:15 p.m."That was retold and retold from student to student until the rumor evolved into 'These two boys did this,' " according to the statement.Officials added that during the investigation, they found previous statement from students from last semester that they are following up on. Law enforcement and school administration continue to investigate.Officers initially responded to both Wright City High School and the middle school, as it was believed the threat might have been in protest to a scheduled walkout taking place at the high school at 10 a.m. Wednesday morning to honor the victims of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting in February.“Since we were not able to let them go outside, the high school kids went to the gym instead,” said Buck.The district promptly sent out communications to parents through email, text and calls to inform them of the situation. During the hours that followed many parents opted to sign their children out of school early. Special accommodations were made, with adults escorting students to meet parents at the office for early dismissal.“We were checking IDs and having runners bring students to the front of the building,” said Buck. “Parents were very cooperative, and everyone worked together to ensure safety.”Buck encouraged any parents who are not connected to the district portal for notifications to do so in an effort to stay informed during situations such as these.He said the police department will handle matters until the validity of the threat is determined. If evidence of a social media threat is found, students could be charged. One particular offense this case could qualify for would be educational disruption.Wright City Lockdown