Columbia County schools, others in Ga. hit with threats, false alarms

I-TEAM: A closer look at weapons found during new school year

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EVANS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - In the aftermath of Wednesday’s deadly shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, s are taking threats seriously, including two this week at Columbia County schools – and two false alarms.

There’s also been a wave of threats at other Georgia schools this week, especially in metro Atlanta.

Among the local threats was one Friday morning at Riverside Middle School.

A student made comments “of a threatening nature against the school” in the presence of a small group of students during a physical education class, parents were told in a letter from Principal Eli Putnam.

s were notified and immediately responded to investigate along with the Columbia County School District police.

The student will be held able according to the code of conduct and any violation of the law.

Also Friday in Columbia County:

At Greenbrier Middle School, there was a report of a threat written on a piece of paper. Upon further investigation, there was no threat. “False information was also spread that has caused some to be concerned,” parents were told in a letter. “All students responsible will be held able according to the code of conduct.”
At Euchee Creek Elementary, a student had what appeared to be a knife, however, there was no blade. No threat was made to the school, students or staff, but parents were notified anyway.
At Stallings Island Middle School, s and Columbia County School District police discovered a knife in a student’s possession. The blade was immediately secured and the student will be held able according to the code of conduct and any violation of the law.

PROTECTING YOUR CHILDREN:

On Thursday, there was a threat at Harlem Middle School.

In a letter sent to parents, officials say a seventh-grade student “made comments of a threatening nature against the school during class time.”

School officials say the student will be held able according to the code of conduct and any violations of the law.

School leaders hold ribbon cutting for new Westmont Elementary

Columbia County school officials cut the ribbon on the new Westmont Elementary School on Thursday.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says numerous threats have been made to schools across the state this week. For example:

Franklin County closed all its schools on Friday “out of an abundance of caution” after online threats, the district announced on social media. The threats surfaced Thursday evening.
Police in the Atlanta suburb of Dunwoody said schools there have also received threats of violence since the Apalachee High School shooting.
Cartersville Middle School was placed on a soft lockdown Friday after a threat that was later found to be a hoax, police said.
On Wednesday, a 15-year-old boy was arrested in Jackson County after police said he made statements about the Apalachee High shooting and was “planning on finishing the job to shoot another school in Jackson County.”
On Thursday — just a day after the school shooting — Gainesville police said a 14-year-old faces charges of terroristic threats and disruption of the operation of a public school. The teen is being held in a regional youth detention center.
A 12-year-old boy in Athens was charged with terroristic threats after threats were made on social media. Police said posts included images of firearms and the names of schools in Clarke County. He was detained by the Department of Juvenile Justice.
Two teenagers were arrested in Hall County for online threats. Jaymon Alan Justice, 17, was charged as an adult with terroristic threats and disruption or interference with operation of public schools. A 13-year-old boy was also charged with terroristic threats and acts and disruption or interference with operation of public schools. Justice was taken to the Hall County Jail. The 13-year-old was taken to the regional youth detention center in Gainesville.
Two teens were arrested in two separate threat incidents in Forsyth County. A 15-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy were charged with terroristic threats. The 14-year-old was also charged with disruption of schools. Both were taken to the regional youth detention center in Gainesville.
A 13-year-old boy was arrested in Newton County for threats made to Eastside High School, according to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office. He was charged with terroristic threats and is in custody of the juvenile court system.
On Friday, a juvenile was detained over making potential threats of school violence, according to the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office.
A 14-year-old was arrested in connection to school threats made in DeKalb County, according to the school district. The district said a 12-year-old was issued a summons for contributing to the threats.
Students at Archer and Meadowcreek high schools in Gwinnett County were arrested for making terroristic threats, according to the district.
A 13-year-old World Language Academy Middle School student was arrested after making threats in front of his classmates, according to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office said the student said he was “going to be the next school shooter” and that he had a “mag” in his backpack.

Tony Lockard, police chief for Gwinnett County Public Schools, said the district investigated roughly 300 tips of school threats since the Apalachee shooting.

“There is a very heightened sense of awareness, uneasiness, nervousness amongst students, parents, community, which is completely understood. Any threats that come in, even prior to the horrific incident at Apalachee, we take every incident as being credible,” said Lockard.

Also in the news ...

In Richmond County, school leaders say a student brought a pocketknife to Wilkinson Gardens Elementary School on Aug. 28. In a letter sent to parents, officials say s responded and confiscated the knife, and no students or staff were harmed.