FARGO — Nearly a third of the student body of Fargo North High School was absent Wednesday, Sept. 4, after parents received a warning from Fargo Public Schools about a possible school shooting threat.

According to the school district and police, administrators started to investigate a possible shooting threat Tuesday afternoon after a student reported a suspicious message carved into a desk that read “want to run away ... school shooting” followed by the date Sept. 4.

The school’s administration determined the threat was not credible after speaking with teachers and students, according to Fargo Public Schools spokesperson AnnMarie Campbell, who said the district was not able to share information on specific disciplinary action for any students.

Superintendent Rupak Gandhi said student interviews and locker searches were part of the investigation that helped officials rule out a credible threat.

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While police and school officials decided there was no credible threat, there was an increased police presence at the school Wednesday as a precaution.

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The school's office reported 296 students were out of school at the request of a parent for at least one class period; nearly all of those students were absent the whole day. With hundreds of students staying home, North High School’s parking lot had many empty spots and, according to one student, far fewer kids in some classrooms.

“In my classes, there's like 11 out of 28 students. That's how much people were scared — half the class is gone,” said Darius Smith, a Fargo North senior who came to school Wednesday because he didn't believe there was a threat.

“They’ve been handling it responsibly,” he added. “They’ve got officers walking around the schools, there are teachers standing outside each classroom making sure kids don't have backpacks on them.”

Gandhi said while it was unfortunate students missed school, the district supports parents keeping students home if there are any questions about safety at school.

“It's just a difficult situation, but we respect and understand if students don't want to come to school today, but at the same time — students aren't at school today, ” Gandhi said.