PARIS — Maine School Administrative District 17 and Oxford Hills law enforcement agencies are taking seriously an unsubstantiated video threat of violence purportedly made against an Oxford school.

Law enforcement is taking an unsubstantiated threat of a Sept. 18 plan for school violence in Oxford Hills seriously. Nicole Carter / Advertiser Democrat

While scrolling on TikTok on Friday, an Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School student told her parents she saw a video that contained a threat against the school, although it did not specify which Oxford school was targeted.

Another Oxford High School in Michigan was the scene of a mass shooting where a student killed four people and wounded seven. Half of the states in the U.S. have cities or towns named Oxford. Maine is the only state containing an Oxford County, although there are Oxford counties in Ontario, Canada, and New Zealand and England.

The student’s family was unable to relocate the video on the social media platform but were concerned enough to alert Superintendent Heather Manchester with what she had seen.

Manchester immediately contacted Oxford Hills high school Principal Paul Bickford, school resource officer Timothy Holland and Paris Police Chief Michael Ward with the information.

“Paris Police Department investigated the report but could not retrieve the video,” Bickford told the Advertiser Democrat on Monday. “What was reported was nondescript in terms of location. It was either Oxford or Oxford Hills. But it did say it would happen this Wednesday.”

“The student caught a video that said there might be a school shooting in Oxford Wednesday,” Manchester confirmed. “We don’t know if it was Maine, Michigan, or any other state. The police did interview students with names mentioned by the parent. There is no proof that this is a credible threat.”

Bickford and Manchester both said police continue to investigate the threat and families and staff members were notified of it. Police in the three Oxford Hills towns with departments, Paris, Norway and Oxford, are increasing their presence in and around the schools in those communities. The Oxford County Sheriff’s Office serving the SAD 17 towns of Hebron, Otisfield, Waterford and West Paris are also experiencing heightened law enforcement patrols this week. The eighth town in SAD 17, Harrison, is served by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

Chief Ward confirmed Tuesday that the investigation remains active but as of press time could not provide any further details.