Viral rumor panics parents in Aiken County, elsewhere

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Local schools continue to see an increase in rumors, threats and alarming social media posts in the aftermath of the Sept. 5 Apalachee High School shooting.

On Friday, some of our sheriff’s offices, like Saluda County, said they will increase their security presence on campus.

Some districts hit with threats include Richmond, Saluda, Glascock, Emanuel and Columbia counties.

The latest is a viral rumor that led parents to rush to Midland Valley High School to pick up their kids on Friday.

The school district said there is no active threat to any school in the county, contrary to rumors.

“Rumors of this nature cause a great deal of concern, stress and anxiety,” the district said in a letter to parents. “When those are shared on social media, the impact is far-reaching, and causes unnecessary concern for other parents, students, and staff, and divert critical resources away from genuine safety and security efforts.”

If ever there is an actual incident of school violence or if a threat of violence warrants parents’ attention, district officials will notify parents, they said.

s not just in Aiken County but across the CSRA say they’re dealing with these rumors that are starting on social media and spreading rapidly.

We spoke with Gary Owens, the chief of police for Columbia County schools.

He says they investigate every threat alongside the FBI and GBI if needed.

Columbia County says most of their threats were not credible.

“If you’re found to do this in a malicious way, or you’re doing it to insult, then start some sort of panic or situation, then you’re going to be investigated. And could possibly not, all the time, be positively criminally charged,” said Owens.

The Richmond County School System on Friday urged anyone who wants to report a safety concern to local authorities or the district’s safety tip line.

“We encourage our community not to repost social media threats that they see online, but to share their concerns directly with law enforcement,” said Dr. Kenneth Bradshaw, superintendent.

If you see a social media post with a threat against your school, take a screenshot and submit it at https://app.sprigeo.com/district/richmond-county-school-system.

The Columbia County School District says it’s sent out 17 of these letters since the Apalachee shooting a little over a week ago. The district said eight students have been criminally charged and suspended.

“Like any other school district right now, we’re getting an influx of amount of threats, social media posts, and what that does it not only disrupts the community, it disrupts the schools,” said Owens.

Owens says social media is the number one contributor to panic when it comes to these false threats.

“It just becomes a snowball effect. And now mom gets it, another mom gets it, another parent gets it, and before you know it, it turns into there’s going to be a school shooting tomorrow,” said Owens.

The problem prompted the FBI and Georgia Bureau of Investigation to issue a t statement that many viral social media posts are not considered credible threats.

The Columbia County School District told parents they need to make their kids aware of the consequences of threats, which include:

• Being removed from school for the year, possibly without the option to attend the alternative school.
• Misdemeanor or felony charges with either juvenile court or adult court proceedings.

Columbia County District Attorney Bobby Christine says the consequences for making threats can be severe.

“Expect to be booked at our adult jail and fingerprinted and perhaps prosecuted in such a way that results in their incarceration,” said Christine.

A threat made online may be to get multiple jurisdictions involved.

“It actually may proceed from not just being a terroristic threat, but now being a cyber-enhanced crime,” said Christine.

Parents could face consequences also.

Christine says that seeing this increase in threats is not surprising to him, but also said that there is no safer time than now with the school’s involvement with the DA, FBI and GBI.

The Columbia County district holds quarterly student/parent informational forums called Let’s Talk throughout the year, designed to address topics facing youths. The next one is set for Sept. 19 at 5:30 p.m. at Grovetown High School. The event is free and open to community.

Here’s a look at some of the latest incidents across the CSRA:

Aiken County

Parents of Leavelle McCampbell Middle School students converged on the campus Thursday to pick up their kids Thursday morning as rumors swirled and some saw evidence of a higher law enforcement presence.

One grandparent told News 12 there were at least 50 people at the school trying to pick up their kids Thursday morning.

Parents eventually received a message from the school stating that local law enforcement received an anonymous report regarding comments made by a student Wednesday related to a potential threat to the school.

“These comments arose during a discussion among students about the recent school shooting in Georgia,” the message to parents stated.

As a precaution, there was an increased presence of law enforcement on campus Thursday while authorities investigated the report.

“We want to reassure you that there is no active threat to safety,” parents were told. “The student involved is cooperating fully with the investigation and does not have any weapons.”

After a thorough investigation, it was determined there is no substantiated threat to our school, and normal school operations were to continue, parents were told.

Orangeburg County

The Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office and the Orangeburg County School District released a video statement over recent threats.

WATCH:

Saluda County

The Saluda County School District s were made aware of recent rumors circulating on a statewide level with respect to school safety and security.

The Saluda County Sheriff’s Office says there has been a lot shared on social media about school shootings and threats across South Carolina.

Deputies say they have been made aware of a Snapchat post that circulated around the county.

Deputies were present at all Saluda County schools on Thursday for extra security precautions.

The agency says they have not found the threat to be credible, but they will “continue to do all that is necessary to keep our children safe.”

“We want to assure our community that the safety and security of our students and staff are our top priorities. Our schools are safe and secure, and we continue to work diligently to maintain a safe environment for everyone,” said the school district in a statement on Facebook.

Columbia County

Columbia Middle School parents were told Thursday there was a false rumor that raised concern.

“We are aware of a social media post containing false information that a student was arrested with a weapon on campus. This is untrue and the post has been reported to the proper authorities,” parents were told in a letter.

In a separate, unrelated incident, the istration received a report that a student made inappropriate comments during class with other students present, parents were told.

Columbia County School District police were immediately notified to investigate. The student is being held able according to the code of conduct.

There was also a letter Thursday to parents of Grovetown Middle School students in Columbia County.

“In an effort to keep you informed, we are notifying you of a threat that is circulating that includes comments of a threatening nature, however, there is no indication it is against our school,” Principal Simon Rodriguez wrote. “We are aware of the post and have reported it to the proper authorities.”

On Thursday, Stallings Island Middle School sent a letter home to families about several reports regarding ongoing concerns of a threat communicated with parents last Friday. The letter states the student has been held able according to the code of conduct.

On Wednesday, a letter to parents of Lakeside High School students said a social media post had raised concern.

It concerns “an incident that occurred last week, which has been investigated and all parties held able,” the letter stated.

“The post also included an unsubstantiated claim of a weapon seen at the school several weeks ago,” Principal Juliet King wrote. “We have also reported this post, and at this time, no threat has been made against the school.”

Meanwhile, parents of Columbia Middle School students were notified Wednesday that a student had made comments “of a threatening nature” toward another student during class.

“istration and Columbia County School District Police were notified and immediately began to investigate,” said the letter from Dr. Holly Barnes, principal. “The student will be held able according to the Code of Conduct and any violation of the law.”

On Tuesday, the district was made aware of a post circulating on social media containing a list of schools across the state, that appears to be the same list on the Georgia Department of Education’s Title I “Targeted Assistance Program” website.

According to officials, the post has been perceived by some to be a threat and has been reported to the proper authorities.

The same list caused rumors in Wilkes County.

Glascock County

After threats were made earlier this week, two more were made on Wednesday.

The Glascock County Sheriff’s Office says they were notified by school istration about two separate possible threats made by students during the school day.

Both students were immediately removed from class and the school resource officer searched them and their belongings, according to officials.

Officials say both students made comments to other students that caused fear and disruption at the schools.

The students who made the threats did not have any guns or weapons or access to any weapons, according to officials.

A 14-year-old high school student has been charged with terrorist threats and acts. The student has been detained at the Regional Youth Detention Center in Augusta.

An 11-year-old middle school student has been disciplined according to the school code of conduct, but has not been criminally charged due to insufficient evidence.

The student will be referred to the Department of Juvenile Justice for services.

“It is upsetting that threats like these and others in our jurisdiction, hoax, joke or not, have come closely on the heels of the horrific tragedy in Barrow County last week. Parents, please talk to your kids and explain that mentioning shooting up a school, doing harm to or inciting fear into the student body, is not a joke,” said Glascock County Sheriff Jeremy Kelley in a statement released on Facebook on Thursday.

Richmond County

On Thursday, a knife was found at Glenn Hills High School, according to school officials.

In a letter sent to parents, school officials say s received a tip that a student may have a weapon. s conducted a search, where a knife was found and confiscated.

The school says the incident is being addressed by the Richmond County School System police in accordance with the code of student conduct and discipline.

On Tuesday, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office received a false call about a threat to Richmond Hill Middle School, according to school officials.

In a letter sent home to families, the school was placed under lockdown for less than 30 minutes while deputies responded.

After finding no evidence of a threat, school resumed as normal.

Principal Kimberly Rouse stated in the letter, “We take these incidents seriously and address them quickly to ensure the well-being of our students and staff and keep them focused on student achievement.”

And last week, three other Richmond County schools sent letters home to families regarding separate, unrelated incidents:

• At Monte Sano Elementary, a teacher noticed what looked like a weapon in a student’s bookbag during class, according to Principal Jasmine Scott. The letter states s conducted a search and confiscated a fake replica of a gun.
• At Pine Hill Middle School, a letter states, several students were engaged in a fight at a bus stop and that there were reports of a weapon, according to Principal Dr. Valerie Squire-Kelly. Upon a search, no weapon was found, according to school officials.
• At the Academy of Richmond County, families were made aware of a hard lockdown, accidentally triggered by a teacher through a personal safety device while dealing with a severe disruption in the classroom. As a result, the lights turned off in the school and computers showed an alert message for less than five minutes, according to Principal Dr. Travis Wiggins.

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