School District: Disclosure Of Threats Was Delayed Due To Investigation

The Bristol Township School District said the reason they didn’t alert students and parents about school shooting threats sooner was due to the ongoing investigation.

The investigation by Bristol Township police and the FBI began on November 4 and led to Matthew Zio, 19, of Bristol Township’s Levittown section, being charged late last week.

LevittownNow.com broke the news Friday evening and the district sent a letter to parents on Saturday, citing the release of the article.

On social media, parents began to question why the news didn’t first come from the school district.

“Due to the ongoing FBI and police investigation, the district could not publicly comment on the matter until this (Saturday) morning,” said district spokesperson Kellie Dietrich.

“Since the threats were made on the 4th (of November), he was in the hands of law enforcement authorities, and there was no immediate danger to the school district,” Dietrich said.

Superintendent Michael Nitti wrote in a letter to parents on Saturday: “There are also several statements in the article regarding connections to the school district that we cannot comment on at this time as the investigation and legal process continues.”

He added: “Certainly, any threat to our students and school community is troubling and distressing. The safety and well-being of our students and staff is our foremost priority. This is another reminder about the importance of proactive vigilance on the part of the entire school community with regard to school security. Everyone must do their part to be observant, mindful and alert for potential threats and dangers to our schools. Never hesitate to contact an administrator or police if you see or hear anything that you find troubling or worrisome.”

Law enforcement officials said the superintendent issued a letter to staff and warned them to be vigilant earlier this month, police said. Staff at the high school confirmed the message was circulated, but the wider school community was not alerted at the time.

Earlier this month, LevittownNow.com asked the district about rumblings of a threat against a district school or Truman. The district said on November 9 that there were “no specific threats received against any Bristol Township school.”

Zio was accused of making threatening posts on TikTok, which led to federal authorities becoming involved, according to court papers.

Law enforcement said in court papers that Zio is a former student of Harry S. Truman High School and specified the school as the intended target of his threats.

Zio allegedly admitted to making the threats and stated that if he had a firearm, he would potentially carry out the attack, police said.

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot, so probably,” he said, according to police.

Zio was preliminarily arraigned before District Judge Kevin Wagner on Friday afternoon on charges of terroristic threats. He has been held since Friday at the Bucks County Correctional Facility and was denied bail by the judge.

Below is Nitti’s full letter:

Dear Bristol Township School District Community, 

Last night, the online media outlet “Levittown Now” posted an article detailing the arrest of a local man for making social media posts threatening a school shooting. 

Please understand that due to the unique evolution of this situation and the ongoing investigation, we could not publicly comment on this matter until this time.   

However it should be known that since November 4, when the online posts were discovered and reported to law enforcement by the social media company, this individual has been in the hands of law enforcement authorities, and there has been no immediate danger to the school district. 

There are also several statements in the article regarding connections to the school district that we cannot comment on at this time as the investigation and legal process continues.

Certainly, any threat to our students and school community is troubling and distressing. The safety and well-being of our students and staff is our foremost priority. This is another reminder about the importance of proactive vigilance on the part of the entire school community with regard to school security. Everyone must do their part to be observant, mindful and alert for potential threats and dangers to our schools. Never hesitate to contact an administrator or police if you see or hear anything that you find troubling or worrisome.

We will continue to closely monitor this case as it moves through the court system, and notify families if there are any concerns regarding school safety. 

In closing, we thank law enforcement for their work on this matter and the Bristol Township School Community for their support and understanding. 

Sincerely,

Michael Nitti
Superintendent
Bristol Township School District

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