Bomb threat at Huntington High School not credible

UPDATE (5:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 20): It was a startling start to the school day after a bomb threat was discovered at Huntington High School Tuesday morning, just five days into classes.

The event is raising concerns and questions about how schools can best prepare for and combat anonymous threats.

Law enforcement officers said the threat was found written on a bathroom wall, and students were evacuated out of an abundance of caution. Cabell County Schools said the threat was ultimately deemed not credible.

After the incident, school security experts shared information with WOWK 13 News on how parents, teachers, etc. can talk with kids about how serious the consequences of threats like this can be.

Dr. Kenneth Trump, a national school security expert, says that students oftentimes don’t understand the full consequences of making a threat against their school. He says it can lead not only to expulsion but to serious legal charges as well, including paying restitution to law enforcement to cover bomb squad and K-9 unit deployment costs. It can also lead to lead to jail time depending on the severity of the threat.

According to Dr. Trump, there are three necessities every school should have in place to prepare for and combat potential threats.

“So, schools need three things in place – threat assessment teams training and protocols; heightened security measures to beef up security while investigations are going on, when threats are not credible; and crisis communication plans to dispel rumors and misinformation and get out accurate information to parents, students and the community when incidents occur,” Dr. Trump said.

Dr. Keith Thomas, director of student wellness and safety for Cabell County Schools, says proper protocol was followed after this morning’s threat was discovered, and that severe consequences will be issued for the student found responsible for the threat.

UPDATE (10:06 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 20): A bomb threat at Huntington High School that caused students to be evacuated has been deemed not credible, according to a Cabell County Schools spokesperson.

They said a threat was written on a bathroom wall. Law enforcement was brought in with dogs to search the building.

Students will be brought back into the school “shortly” and the school day will continue as normal.

HUNTINGTON, WV (WOWK) — Huntington High School has been evacuated due to a bomb threat, a Cabell County spokesperson tells 13 News.

They say out of an abundance of caution, the school was evacuated while law enforcement investigated the threat.

This is a developing story.

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