A rumor with threatening overtones for Albert Lea High School has prompted Albert Lea Superintendent Mike Funk to release a statement in hopes of quashing the circulating hearsay:

“On Monday, some of our high school advisories discussed the tragedy in Connecticut and school shootings in general. In one advisory, this discussion led to the Mayan calendar event that has the world ending on Friday.

“A comment was made by some students that one could ‘see high school students doing something stupid on Friday.’ This has led to much speculation about potential violence occurring at Albert Lea High School this Friday. Statements related to this have been thoroughly investigated by district and law enforcement personnel and have been determined to not be credible.

“While we continue to take all threats seriously, we are confident that Albert Lea High School and all of our schools remain a safe place for our students to learn.

“If you have any questions regarding student safety please contact your school principal.”

The district’s statement also appears on the homepage of the school district’s website today.

The Albert Lea Tribune does not wish to print the specifics of the rumor for fear of it spreading further.