By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- What Massena Central officials describe as “a potential threat” that a student posted to Facebook is being handled internally and charges are not likely to be filed.

In an email to parents that is being circulated on social media, Superintendent Patrick Brady said the district alerted police but later discredited the perceived threat.

“Law enforcement was alerted and the school administration initiated an immediate investigation. The threat was determined not to be credible but appropriate measures will be taken in this matter,” Brady wrote in the email.

“In our conversations with police and administration, they didn’t feel it rose to the level of criminal charges being filed,” he said on the phone Wednesday evening. He said they made their decision based on “the nature of what was stated with the post and interviews that were held.”

Brady said given events across the country, such as Tuesday’s murder-suicide at a California school, they take seriously anything that could be vaguely construed as threatening.

“We take any perceived threats against our students and staff seriously. We investigate them fully and we will take action to keep our students and staff sage, and I’m convinced we did in this matter,” Brady said on the phone Wednesday. “These situations are very unsettling to students, parents and the community. So again, we take any comment that could be perceived as a threat seriously and they are investigated and actions are taken accordingly. It’s a continual process to educate our students on the importance of not making comments on social media that would be deemed threatening. With incidents that have occurred in the past and recently across the country people are duly concerned about it.”

He said federal privacy laws prevent him from commenting on any internal disciplinary measures.

Brady’s entire email:

“Dear Parents/Guardians of Massena Central School Students:

This afternoon we were made aware of a potential threat against the school posted by a student on FaceBook. Law enforcement was alerted and the school administration initiated an immediate investigation. The threat was determined not to be credible but appropriate measures will be taken in this matter. I recognize that this situation can be unsettling to many given the content of the communication and events happening in the country. We appreciate the students, parents, and community members who contacted the police or administration to alert us to the situation. It takes all of us working together to keep our kids safe.”