A 9-year-old girl from Middletown has been arrested for allegedly threatening students at her school in Wallkill.

Police say the child left a message on Maple Hill Elementary School's answering machine on Dec. 26 threatening to hurt students returning after their holiday vacation.

District officials say authorities were immediately notified, and it was quickly determined not to be credible so no further administrative action was taken. But some parents are unhappy with the district's handling of the situation. "This incident happened Monday morning. We were not notified until today from the school. We found out last night through the media," says Connie Quinones, of Middletown.

The school district has been plagued for months by repeated bogus threats - called swatting. Police say the child is not responsible for the other calls, which are being investigated by the FBI.

The child has been charged with making a terroristic threat and aggravated harassment, and was released to a guardian. The child will be in court next week.

The Wallkill Central School District says every threat has to be taken seriously, regardless of age.