Following threats of violence at the school Wednesday night, about half of Edmonds-Woodway High School’s student body was absent on Thursday, Edmonds School District officials said.

According to district spokeswoman Amanda Ralston, 794 students were absent during at least one period at Edmonds-Woodway High School Thursday, Dec. 17. Total high school enrollment in December is approximately 1,589, so that is an attendance rate of 50 percent, she said. By comparison, the average attendance rate at Edmonds-Woodway High this school year is 93.5 percent, and the attendance rate the day before, on Dec. 16, was 92 percent.

Edmonds police and Edmonds School District officials said they conducted an overnight investigation between Wednesday night and Thursday morning into threats of a possible shooting at Edmonds-Woodway High School Thursday, but determined the threats were “not credible” and said that school would be open as usual.

Police officers were stationed at both Edmonds-Woodway and Scriber Lake high schools on Thursday and Friday. According to a parent who contacted My Edmonds News, rumors of the threats had been circulating among students on social media Wednesday night, and involved Scriber Lake High School students threatening to “shoot up” Edmonds-Woodway. Scriber Lake High School is an alternative school located on the former Woodway High School campus.

Students whose parents chose to keep their students home for the day Thursday were granted an excused absence.

According to the police report, the two threatened to “lynch” one African-American student and discussed specific plans on the Facebook page to carry out this threat. Other more general threats included discussion of obtaining firearms and leaving “dead bodies” all over the school.

All schools will be closed starting Monday until after the New Year for winter break.