School leaders, police explain local threat investigation

CORTLAND, Ohio (WKBN) – The halls of Lakeview High School in Cortland were quiet Thursday after administrators made the last-minute decision to close.

Superintendent Ashley Handrych said administrators and police learned of a series of online messages that left them thinking the district was being threatened. They determined there is no credible threat, and the investigation is ongoing into who and where the messages came from.

Still working with the police department to unravel that and determine exactly where it came from,” Handrych said. “In that moment, my first concern was the safety of our students and our staff. That’s not something I’m ever going to play fast and loose with.”

This latest incident comes just hours after several local districts were forced to deal with another series of social media posts this week that were quickly discredited.

It turns out a list like this of districts set to receive federal education funds was being circulated online using the term “targeted” for schools receiving money. It came on the heels of this month’s school shooting in Georgia when tensions were already running high.

“Anytime there is an incident like Georgia, we prepare ourselves — okay, what are we going to have to deal with,” said Lt. Scott Weimer with the Canfield Police Department.

Although no credible threats could be identified, police in both Howland and Springfield townships had extra patrols around schools as a precaution. Authorities stress whenever a possible threat is perceived, they will act quickly.

“Part of that is a threat assessment, and I hate to say that, but that’s the reality of today. We do threat assessment to determine if there is a threat to the school,” Weimer said.

Weimer says its important for students and parents alike to come forward with any suspicions they have and let authorities and administrators do their jobs to keep everyone safe.

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