Updated 4:30 p.m. Sept. 6
Whiteville High School has additional security today after a report of “secondhand social media” posts about a possible threat to the school today.
Security at schools across the nation was increased yesterday after a 14-year-old shot and killed two students and two teachers in a Georgia high school Wednesday. Multiple other injuries were reported.
A note about the potential threat was posted on the official WHS Facebook page around 11 p.m. Thursday. Such rumors are common in the wake of school shootings, and have circulated at area schools after previous incidents.
“We were recently made aware, through secondhand social media postings, of a potential threat made against Whiteville High School for sometime (sic) tomorrow,” the post reads. “At this time we have no knowledge of the original message to suggest there was a direct threat to our school.
“However, as always, the safety of our students is our top priority. To ensure a secure environment, we are taking every precaution, including having additional law enforcement officers on site.”
Security for the city schools is provided through a contract with the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office. The CCCSO has 14 School Resource Officers (SRO) overseen by a sergeant. Deputies and municipal police from across the county spent much of the summer in active shooter drills at county high schools.
The WHS Facebook post urged students and parents to “remain vigilant” and “continue focusing on learning”.
“By supporting one another, we can navigate this time with confidence and strength.”
Superintendent Jonathan Williams said the city schools take every mention of a threat seriously.
“We received several messages from various sources about someone hearing or that ‘it was going around’ that there would be a shooting at Whiteville High School,” Williams said in an email. “All of the messages centered around the same social media post. We never received a direct threat other than the secondhand post.
“Nonetheless, we treat all reports as credible until proven otherwise and we take every precaution and provide as much communication as possible. There were extra law enforcement officers at the scholl today and we thank them for their support.”
Sheriff Bill Rogers did not immediately reply to requests for comments. We will update this story as more becomes available.
