Editor’s note: an earlier version of this story included an unconfirmed claim stating that Evans High School had an approximately 22% attendance rate on Wednesday. This statistic has since been updated with accurate numbers provided by the Columbia County School District.
In recent weeks, a surge in school shooting threats circulating on social media has been observed throughout the CSRA.
Evans High School social media threat
On Wednesday, Sept. 18, Evans High School was hit with a gun violence threat allegedly stemming from a Snapchat post in a freshman group chat.
The latest update to this incident was sent out to parents from the Columbia County School District (CCSD) via email at 11:32 a.m. on Wednesday, in a statement calling the social media post “a concerning threat with false information.”
This statement also said: “multiple students have been identified and will be facing consequences for their actions and will not be returning to school.”
A mother of an Evans High student, Kristin Farr, was one of many who decided to keep her child home from school on Wednesday, unsure of the validity of the threat.
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A representative from the Columbia County School District said that on Wednesday, approximately 91% of students checked in and were present around 9:00 a.m., although some students were checked out of school later.
Farr said that she was warned about vague social media threats by a friend on Tuesday night, but didn’t plan to keep her child home until she was informed of another threat the next morning that specifically named Evans High.
Farr said this second threat was “so detailed…it was actually telling what their plan was.”
Screenshots of the threat indicated that a potential shooter planned to pull the fire alarm and begin shooting after students entered the hallways.
“I feel like these things are more widely spread through social media, and I just feel like if there was a tighter grip on, you know, kids and their social media accounts, that this might not be such a problem…apparently people in Texas got the same exact message,” said Farr.
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“The teachers are gonna live in the same fear and the child’s living in…these kids that are making these threats…they’ve never had to go through something like this and see one of their friends dead in the hallway, you know what I mean, and they take it as a joke. And it’s just, it’s detrimental to students and teachers,” she added.
Parent perspective on cell phone bans
“momma”
“it’s real”
“i’m a lil scared”
These were text messages sent back-to-back from a Cross Creek High School student to her mother, Denise Granberry, during a lockdown on Aug. 30 – eight days after a 17-year-old Cross Creek student was arrested and charged for bringing a gun to school.
The Aug. 30 lockdown was prompted by a false report of a weapon in a student’s possession.
“She sent me a picture, and she’s up under a desk. It’s dark in the room,” said Granberry, describing a photo her daughter sent to her while she was hiding under a desk.
This incident at the start of the school year came after the announcement of a district-wide cell phone ban that prohibits devices in classrooms, hallways and communal areas during school hours.
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Granberry said that instead of enforcing a rule against cell phones, she believes schools should mandate clear backpacks for students: “You guys don’t want our kids to have cellphones in school? This is 2024…There’s not enough SROs, there’s not enough police…clear backpacks could help.”
School districts on dealing with social media threats
The CCSD said in a safety statement that “Suspicious behavior should always be quickly reported to a school administrator, Columbia County School District Police, or by contacting the CCSD anonymous tip hotline at 706-541-3600.”
The CCSD also encourages families to contribute to stopping the spread of false information by not sharing posts of a threatening nature on social media after they have been reported.
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Haley Lacuesta, a representative of the Richmond County School System (RCSS), said that threats on social media should be immediately screenshotted and law enforcement contacted.
“We encourage our community not to repost online threats on their timelines. Our law enforcement takes these matters very seriously…contacting them is the best and fastest way to raise a safety concern,” she said in a district statement.
An anonymous safety tip line for the RCSS is monitored 24/7 and can be reached by calling 706-828-1077.
The Aiken County Public School District’s Superintendent, Dr. Corey Murphy, released a video message addressing recent social media threats and rumors of school violence. This follows two Aiken County juveniles being arrested for making threats against Aiken County schools.
Additional threats on Sept. 18
Other threats received on Sept. 18 include an incident at Grovetown Middle School in which a student made threatening comments against the school and three other students. According to statements from the CCSD, the student “is being held accountable according to the code of conduct and the law.”
Another threat on Wednesday involved Greenbrier High School after a student made comments of a threatening nature against the school. According to a statement, the CCSD District Police “immediately responded” to investigate. This student has been detained.
Two unrelated incidents at Lakeside Middle School were reported on Sept. 18 as well, involving comments of a threatening nature being made in front of other students. According to the CCSD, two students have been found responsible for their respective incidents.
