ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. -- Students at a Rowan County high school spent the entire day locked inside the building Thursday, as police searched some of their classmates for weapons.
This is being called precautionary but there was a threat, according to officials. Police and the district say they have to take these things seriously, especially when a Facebook post not only talked about shooting up South Rowan, but even targeted some students by name.
Nervous parents picked up their children early as nearly a dozen officers combed through the campus starting around 10 a.m., after the Facebook posts about an off-campus fight between students the night before took a more sinister turn.
South Rowan operated on "Code Yellow," which means the doors were locked and no one could go outside while Landis Police searched and interviewed students involved in the posts. South Rowan principal Kelly Withers released a statement to parents this morning about the incident:
"This message is to let you know that an arranged altercation involving SRHS students occurred last night. This incident did not happen on our school campus. As a precautionary measure, we will be on a Code Yellow lockdown."
The post apparently mentioned "shooting the place up."
Officers did not find any weapons or threatening devices.
No one has been arrested or charged so far. The district attorney will make that decision based on evidence. The charge would likely be communicating threats. Officials say most of the students involved are boys who are at least 16.
