Bend Police are investigating the report of a potential threat made against Cascade Middle School over the weekend.

According to an email from Cascade Middle School Principal Stephen DuVal, a youth was chatting on an online gaming platform, and during the chat, a person known only by the username on the gaming platform told the youth not to go to school Monday. The gamer later claimed to be making a joke, according to the email sent to parents.

Police are investigating the identity of the individual who made the comment.

“We, and our law enforcement partners, take all threats to our staff and students’ safety seriously. The identity of the suspect gamer is currently being investigated by law enforcement teams and we will support prosecution to the fullest extent of the law for the disruption that this will likely cause to our learning environment,” DuVal said in the email,

Screenshots of the online exchange have been circulating on social media, DuVal said.

Bend police officers will have a presence at the middle school Monday, “out of an abundance of caution,” DuVal said in his email.