WINCHESTER, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — Across the United States schools are on high alert as potential threats circulate, prompting lockdowns and class cancellations. In Kentucky alone, 12 counties have faced significant disruptions due to these reported threats.
Schools, traditionally seen as safe havens for learning, have become centers of anxiety for many students and parents.
RELATED l Kentucky school districts on high alert after surge of statewide threats On Thursday, George Clark High School in Winchester received a threat.
According to the school, “Our school resource officers, Winchester Police Department, and school administration promptly conducted a thorough investigation, and no credible threats have been identified.” The investigation revealed that the potential threat originated from Winchester, Virginia, but ended up being directed towards Winchester, Kentucky.
Lieutenant Tony Likins, a school resource officer with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, explained the process: “If we investigate it to the depth of finding out whether it’s credible or not, if a threat is not credible, it’s treated like it’s not. If it is credible, further investigation continues.”
This surge in threats follows the tragic shooting at Appalachee High School in Georgia just eight days ago, which resulted in the deaths of two students and two teachers.
Local law enforcement officials note that such tragedies often spur a rise in copycat threats. Sam Wade, a Jessamine County High School school resource officer said, “I think what we do see is a lot of copycats and a lot of folks who seem to want to piggyback on the fact that we have had some tragedies here nationwide. Sometimes it’s as simple as folks that just don’t want to have school that day, all the way up to people who would intentionally try to disrupt our education system.”
Likins further emphasized the seriousness of threats to schools.
Any threat to a school campus, or its personnel, is classified as terroristic threatening in the second degree and is a Class D felony. It carries a sentence of 1–5 years in prison and can also include a fine of up to $10,000.
Likins added, “If you take a bomb threat scare, without a doubt, it’s criminal. At any level, any threat towards a school, any person in that school, any student in that school, staff, volunteer, coach—it doesn’t matter. There are real consequences to sharing anything. Even off a social media platform. The words you cause panic or alarm, or just like at a school system, if you send something around a threat or anything, even shared off social media. If you send that out according to your intention, you can still be charged with a felony,” said Likins.
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: “They think they’re warning people so they will screenshot a threat that comes through, and then they will post that to social media. Other people will screenshot that and pass it along on social media, and it causes a general panic on something that we could have probably nipped really quick had they brought it to an adult or authorities quickly. Instead, they think they’re doing a community service by sharing it out, when in fact, it just causes further panic and makes our job harder,” added Wade.
As Kentucky schools continue to navigate these heightened security concerns, officials urge vigilance and prompt reporting of any suspicious activity to prevent unnecessary disruptions and ensure the safety of students and staff.
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