Calhoun City Schools and local law enforcement have been made aware of several social media posts that are threatening in nature and are investigating individuals who may be involved with sharing this information online.
Calhoun Police Chief Tony Pyle and Superintendent Dr. Michele Taylor want to assure students, teachers and staff, parents and the community that they are taking any and all threats seriously. Increased police presence will be seen in and around all school campuses this week.
Students who have been named in connection with online threats will not be allowed on school property or at extracurricular activities while investigations continue. Making a threat against any school is a very serious matter that is a violation of our student conduct code and is against the law. Students who create/share threatening posts may face criminal charges and maximum school disciplinary consequences for their behavior.
CCS and Calhoun PD shared yesterday that Calhoun Police Officers arrested a 13 year old juvenile in connection with a threat directed at Calhoun Middle School. This verbal threat was shared with several students. The juvenile has been charged with terroristic threats and will be detained by the Department of Juvenile Justice’s Youth Detention Center.
In separate, unrelated cases, two other middle school students and now a high school student, are being investigated for sharing social media posts that are threatening in nature.
Late Friday afternoon, the GBI and FBI Atlanta issued a joint statement saying specific threats on social media will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. They are also reminding members of the community that sharing online threats can cause undue panic and spread false information. Additionally, they said that the "majority" of investigations into the threats posted online since the shooting at Apalachee High School have been deemed non-credible. However, threats should still be reported to local law enforcement immediately.
Across the state, several individuals have been investigated and/or charged with violations ranging from weapons on campus, terroristic threats, disruption of public schools - Bartow County, Brooks County, Cartersville City, Chattooga County, Clarke County, Dekalb County, Forsyth County, Franklin County, Fulton County, Gordon County, Gwinnett County, Hall County, Henry County, Jackson County, Monroe County, Newton County, Oconee County, Pickens County, Rockdale County, Rome City, Thomas County, Thomasville City, Valdosta City and others. School officials and law enforcement take school safety very seriously.
The Bureau says safety hotlines and law enforcement often see increased reporting following a mass shooting because students and the public are more inclined to report suspicious activity or concerns. We encourage students, parents, staff and the community to be responsible in how they share as this can help law enforcement focus their efforts on credible threats. Notify authorities but don’t share or forward the threat until law enforcement has had a chance to investigate.
Parents, we ask that you please share with your child that we take threats to their safety very seriously. We will investigate and pursue charges on those individuals who create, share or otherwise publish these threats. Stress to students that mentioning shooting up a school is no joke. It’s unsettling that threats like these, hoax or not, follow a horrific event like the one in Barrow County last week. We are heartbroken for the Winder community.
PLEASE report any threats to an adult, teacher, administrator, counselor or law enforcement officer immediately upon seeing them. We want to thank the students, parents, and staff members who have forwarded screenshots or information to us. Administrators and SROs have responded quickly and have spent time to investigate any and all reports. We take each and every threat to one of our schools seriously and investigate them exhaustively. The Calhoun Police Department and Georgia Bureau of Investigation continue to investigate and bring charges / detain those who threaten, to ensure that our schools are safe for operation.
Again, all community members are encouraged to report ANY threatening post or picture that you see on social media to law enforcement immediately. Do not assume that we are aware of each individual post or other verbal or written threats. We want to know. If you see something, say something. We appreciate our Calhoun community!