‘Code Yellow’ at RCB lasted 15 minutes after threat report Thursday morning

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — During a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Harrison County law enforcement and school officials confirmed that Robert C. Byrd High School was under a “Code Yellow” briefly on Thursday morning.

Officials confirmed that no Harrison County schools were under a direct threat on Thursday, but there were some school names circulated on an online list that were similar to school names in Harrison County.

Officials confirmed that law enforcement did respond to the school around 8 a.m. on a precautionary basis because of a possible threat made on social media, but “it was deemed noncredible from the start.”

Officials also said in a press release that there was a “non-related criminal investigation involving a student of the school who is a juvenile” that started on Wednesday.

Superintendent Dora Stutler said that school was only under the Code Yellow for about 15 minutes. She said that there were multiple rumors circulated throughout the day and that the situation was made “much larger than it was” because of social media.

Law enforcement and school officials urged parents and students to report possible threats to schools to law enforcement and the Safe Schools Hotline instead of sharing it on social media.

Of the about dozen calls that were made regarding threats Harrison County Schools on Thursday, only one or two were reported directly to law enforcement through either a 911 call or the Safe Schools app.

Law enforcement and school officials emphasized that although they always take threats to schools seriously and investigate them all as if they were real, social media “really does hinder investigations.”

“False threats, whether made as a prank or with ill intent, can have severe consequences. They waste valuable resources and can lead to disciplinary action, legal consequences, and harm to our school environment,” a release from Sheriff Robert Matheny said.

Information about the Safe Schools app is available on the Harrison County Schools and West Virginia Department of Education websites.

Some parents did choose to pick up their students from schools across the district, especially RCB, and Stutler confirmed that those absences will be excused.

Law enforcement said that it is “very difficult to assume” that threats in multiple different school districts are related. Harrison County was just one school district in north central West Virginia that had similar threats on Thursday. Marion County School s confirmed that at least two of its schools were affected, and Preston High School was released early because of a threat. None have said that the threats were credible.

Many other school districts and sheriff’s departments across the state have released statements, saying they have increased law enforcement presence at schools, and the FBI released a statement after “a series of recent threats directed toward multiple school districts across Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.”

Over the past several days, multiple young people and teens across the country have been arrested for making similar threats, including a sixth grader in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBOY.com.