Online threats prompt wave of local school closures

[In the player above, watch related FOX 8 News coverage of a social media threat that prompted a Lorain school to close on Sept. 10.]

LORAIN , Ohio (WJW) — Several local schools closed Tuesday due to online threats.

A social media post late Monday night claimed “a bomb will be placed on the campus of Clearview High School,” on Tuesday, Sept. 10, according to a statement from schools Superintendent Jerome Davis on the district’s website.

The threat “caused us to take immediate and necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our students and staff,” Davis wrote.

Both Clearview High School and Durling Middle School, which are on the same campus, were closed for the day. The Lorain County Sheriff’s Office brought in bomb-sniffing K-9s to inspect both buildings, which were deemed safe.

Classes are expected to resume on Wednesday.

“Thank you for your support in maintaining the safety of our school community,” Davis wrote.

Also on Tuesday, Copley High School in Summit County continued with classes on Tuesday, determining a threat made Monday evening against the high school and its students posed “no immediate threat to the students and staff.”

“As always, ‘if you see something, say something,'” reads a statement from Principal Eric Smith. “This goes for our staff, students and community. The safety of every person in this building is paramount.”

Copley Police Chief Michael Mier told FOX 8 News the threat was posted to Snapchat. The platform then alerted federal investigators, who then alerted Copley police.

The police department sent more officers to the school on Tuesday, he said.

Lorain High School was also closed Tuesday after officials learned of a threat to “shoot up a school” early that morning. A 12-year-old girl reportedly confessed to making the threat, claiming it was intended as a joke.

Also closed Tuesday was the Cleveland Arts and Social Sciences Academy along Shaker Boulevard.

The school told FOX 8 News it received information regarding a potential attack on middle school students.

The district has about 400 elementary and middle school students and about 40 employees.

“Bomb or shooting threats against any of our schools in Ohio are incredibly serious and disruptive actions,” Paul Craft, superintendent of public instruction for the State Board of Education, wrote in a statement to FOX 8 News. “Any adults involved should know that the full weight of the law will be brought to bear against them. Students involved in making threats will not only face those same serious legal issues, but will also be subject to long expulsions, loss of extracurricular privileges, and more.”

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