A concerned parent alerted a Coweta County School Resource Officer, Coweta County, Georgia, about a school shooting threat. The threat was circulating on social media and led to an investigation. An East Coweta High School student has been identified as a suspect, according to the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office. As reported, the threat did not mention any Coweta County school as a possible target. The Sheriff’s Office Investigative Unit was able to obtain identifying information from Facebook (Meta). The student was arrested.
The investigation disclosed that “the student allegedly took a screenshot of the original threat and reposted it to his Instagram.” The initial actual threat was made to a school in another jurisdiction. The Sheriff’s Office says that school jurisdiction “was aware of the threat and had already taken action to ensure the safety of the students at their school.”
Parents of students in several other schools received messages this past Friday morning as the school districts found out about the threat that was made on social media. In a letter to parents Friday, the principal of Lithia Springs High School in Douglas County says that they became aware of a threat toward the school a student “initiated” on social media.
As the investigation unfolded, School administrators and the Douglas County School System Police Department issued a message which alleged a determination was made that “there is no threat toward to the campus. Out an abundance of caution, the high school was put on a delayed opening and safety measures have been put in place.” Multiple police cars were seen by the Lithia Springs high school. FOX 5 provided a photo of the scene.
Background information discloses that this threat was not the first school threat in the recent past. “A Douglas County School System official said that the threat is identical to one that has recently been shared to several school districts in the area.” The school official did not give any specifics about the threat. Additionally, the Floyd County School District told FOX 5 Atlanta that “they are also aware of several school threats that are circulating on social media. The school district said they worked with their local and state partners to gather information regarding the threats.”
Clarification of the responses by some school districts include that of Cobb County, which sent the following letter to parents: “This morning, McEachern’s administration was told of a possible threat to our school. District staff, the Cobb Police Department, and the Cobb County School District Police Department, immediately launched an investigation that is ongoing.” Evidently, a nationwide pattern of false rumors existed, and it is alleged that these threats are “being intentionally spread by students.”
