June 25, 2023 / By mobanmarket
GEORGIA — Some Georgia schools were on alert Friday morning after a threatening message circulated on social media Thursday.
Okeechobee County Schools in Florida shared a copy of the message on Facebook, which did not reference a specific school but school systems across the country were on alert.
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In Douglas County, Lithia Springs High School delayed opening Friday in response to a social media threat, Portia Lake, director of public information for the school system, told Patch.
She said students were in class by 9:20 a.m. once officers deemed the threat not credible.
A letter was sent to parents in nearby Cherokee County in response to the threat. Barbara Jacoby, school system chief communications officer, told Patch school officials have received calls relating to rumors about the national threat.
“Please be advised that a threat hoax is circulating on social media and affecting schools nationwide today. Rumors circulating about CCSD schools today are a part of that hoax,” Cherokee school officials said in the letter to parents. “There are no valid threats against any of our schools or our students. We take threats to the safety and security of our students, staff and schools very seriously.”
School officials noted parents, staff and community members can use the Vector Alert system to report any safety concerns.
Seth Coleman, director of media relations for Atlanta Public Schools, told Patch the school system was aware of the national threat.
“We are monitoring all of our schools closely as the safety and security of our students and employees will always be a top priority for APS,” he said.
Bernard Watson, Gwinnett County Schools director of community and media relations, told Patch school officials were not aware of a national threat but said Sweetwater Middle School had a school threat Thursday. The threat was determined to not be credible, and Principal Chekquita Johnson sent a letter to parents.
“The safety and security of our students and staff is a top priority in Gwinnett County Public Schools. When we do receive a threat, in accordance with our safety and security procedures, our school resource officers (SROs) immediately launch an investigation to determine the source of the threat, who made it and whether it is credible,” Watson said.
“Our officers frequently work with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, as well as technology companies in these investigations. We also have additional SROs available to respond to any school or schools that require additional security.”
In the letter, Johnson said Sweetwater received a verbal threat that was immediately investigated by school police. Students were safe and not in danger, she said.
“As a reminder, making threats against students and/or staff will not be tolerated at Sweetwater Middle,” Johnson said. “It is not only a violation of our student conduct code, it is also against the law. Students who make threats will face appropriate school disciplinary consequences and possible criminal charges if warranted.”
The letter did not indicate the origin of the threat, and it is unknown if any charges were pressed in the matter.
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