1 / 2

Nebo School District spokesperson Seth Sorenson speaks at a press conference in Payson on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

Carlene Coombs, Daily Herald

2 / 2

The marquee for Mount Nebo Middle School in Payson is pictured Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

Carlene Coombs, Daily Herald

❮ ❯

Two weeks after a viral video of a student walkout at Mount Nebo Middle School protesting so-called “furries,” the school has since received three bomb threats, including one Tuesday, which led to an evacuation of the school.

Sgt. Scott Hall of the Payson Police Department said Tuesday’s threat was a one-sentence email that was sent to the school’s principal around 7:30 a.m. Police then canvassed the school with bomb-detecting canines before determining there were no explosives in the building.

Payson police and the Nebo School District held a joint press conference to address the issue Wednesday, where they said the threats are still under investigation with assistance from federal authorities.

“These (threats) will be investigated to the fullest extent not only by ourselves but federal agencies,” Hall said at the press conference. “And if we identify suspects, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent.”

Hall said a police officer will be stationed at the middle school for the remainder of the school year.

Because of the threats, Seth Sorenson, Nebo School District spokesperson, said additional personnel have been hired to provide support to faculty and students and monitor the school.

Mt. Nebo first received a threat two days after the viral video via an email that also was sent to media outlets, including the Daily Herald.

That email listed the names and presumably home addresses of various administrators at the school and in Nebo School District, calling them “degenerates” who have been “marked for death.” During the press conference, Sorenson said a second threat was sent April 23.

The video that prompted the backlash showed a group of middle schoolers who said they were walking out in protest of “furries” — people who dress up as and act like anthropomorphic animals — in the school, who the students claimed were biting, chasing and barking at other children, actions they allege were tolerated by teachers and administrators.

Sorenson reiterated at the press conference that the school has not “seen any evidence in our schools of biting, scratching and clawing.” He added that parents or students who experience or have knowledge of bullying should reach out to teachers or school administrators.

“We do take those kinds of incidents very seriously and do want to conduct full investigations into them,” he said.

Sorenson said there was an incident involving a group of girls who wore animal headbands to school one day who were then targeted by other students and even had food thrown at them. He added that the students were asked not to wear headbands.

Hall said Tuesday’s threat did not seem similar to other threats, but he clarified that he was not involved in responding to or investigating previous threats, only Tuesday’s. He said the most recent threat had no mention of “furries” or the video.

The video has since been shared by Libs of TikTok, a right-wing account that often posts anti-LGBTQ+ content, as well as various other conservative media outlets.

Utah politicians such as U.S. Sen. Mike Lee and state Rep. Phil Lyman, who is campaigning for governor, shared the post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Sorenson said he hopes the community can come together despite differences and support children.

“I think we need to come together as a community to support these children and make sure that they know, first off, that we love them,” he said. “And secondly, that we support them and that their education and their well-being is our priority.”

Sorenson also invited parents who are concerned about the environment of their child’s school to come and sit down with school administrators and teachers and be engaged in their child’s education.

Sorenson said many school safety protocols have been implemented across the district in the last year, including updated security cameras and new software allowing teachers to communicate with law enforcement and other district employees.