LANCASTER, S.C. — A social media threat prompted increased security at Lancaster High School on Wednesday, district leaders said.
The Lancaster County School District received an alert through social media about an alleged shooting threat at Lancaster High on Sept. 11. Extra staff and law enforcement were called to the school as a precaution. No schools were placed on lockdown due to the threat, Lancaster County officials said.
Families and staff were notified of the extra security after students were in place, district leaders said.
The District also investigating threats written in a school bathroom. The district says neither threat is credible but still trying to track down who is behind them.
“There’s video cameras outside of the bathroom, trying to get a timeline in there…but we can’t specify who actually went in there and has done it,” said Safety & Transportation Director for Lancaster School District, Lonnie Poyler. “Same thing with the one today. It was an anonymous threat and we have done everything with our IT department.”
Extra patrols were also at Chester High School Tuesday after the Chester County Sheriff’s office said a gun was recovered. The agency says a 15-year-old is in custody and facing several charges for being in possession of a loaded firearm on school property. The gun was found in the student's bookbag after the Sheriff's office said they received reports the student had a gun on campus. The school was placed on hold for several hours but has resumed to normal operations. The student has been transported to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), where they will remain pending a hearing before a Family Court Judge.
In Rowan County, the Rowan-Salisbury school district shut down any rumors about a weapon found on campus or a threat to the safety of South Rowan High School following a recent Facebook post.
The following statement was sent to WCNC Charlotte about this incident:
"We understand and share parents concern for student safety, but the information about a possible weapon on campus or a threat on the safety of South Rowan HS came from a Facebook post. That information was not correct and has caused unnecessary confusion. South Rowan administrators and the SRO have investigated all discipline incidents this week with the focus and diligence to keep our students safe. Just as we have always done, if there is a concern for student safety, we will follow our emergency protocols and notify parents."
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools also seeing an increase in school threats. A spokesperson with the district saying the increase in school threats is not uncommon following acts of school violence, days and weeks afterwards. "While we have seen an increase in reports, we have our own dedicated Police Department that works closely with local law enforcement agencies to assess each of these reports. (Tuesday), law enforcement stated that over 40 schools in North Carolina received threats and all have been determined to not be credible."
The district adds it has its own police department, additional safety measures which include walk-through security scanners, and its Say Something reporting app.
These incidents comes one day after two people, including an 11-year-old, were connected to a string of threats at schools in Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties. The 11-year-old was accused of threatening posts against schools in Gaston County. The other suspect, who is under 18, was arrested in connection with threats in Cleveland County.
Investigators haven't said if the threats were coordinated or if either suspect was responsible for threats made against schools in Lincoln County.
Jody Seagle, an administrative captain with the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office, said the threat originated Monday night.
"There were some photos that began circulating on social media of an individual, just the individual's hand, holding a firearm and some of the photos had some caption of threats toward different schools in Cleveland County," Seagle said.
This story will be updated.