Local School Officials: Report Threats, Don’t Share Them
Emma Delk Trending
Northern Panhandle school officials are stressing to "report, not share" threats to their school systems following a nationwide wave of threats spread across social media platforms.
Marshall and Wetzel county school officials along with Marshall County law enforcement and emergency medical services leadership gathered at the Marshall County Schools Board of Education office Friday to address the threats on a local level and the steps residents should take to report a threat when they encounter one.
Threats to schools have been an issue this week throughout the Ohio Valley. Online threats led to Hancock County Schools being canceled Wednesday and on remote learning Thursday. Buckeye Local Schools canceled classes Wednesday after a soft lockdown earlier in the week. St. Clairsville-Richland City Schools also enacted a soft lockdown. Juveniles are in custody on charges of making those threats against Weir Middle School and Buckeye Local.
Marshall County Sheriff William Helms said his office began receiving information "several days ago" regarding threats to school systems outside his jurisdiction. When threats were then made and spread toward Marshall County Schools on Snapchat and Facebook, detectives began tracking down the IP addresses and obtaining search warrants for the threat makers.
"We certainly saw this coming," Helms said. "We know it's out there every single day, and part of our daily patrol and routine is to pay more attention to schools.
"When something like this happens nationwide, you see more threats being made because it becomes more in the spotlight."
Helms said they have had "some success" in apprehending the individuals making the threats. According to Helms, none of the threats made to the school have been an "actual threat" to student's safety within schools.
"No matter what you personally think about a threat or how unlikely you feel it may be, we take each one as if it's an absolute positive that it's going to happen," Helms noted. "That's how we respond to it."
Marshall County Superintendent Shelby Haines said threats have been made "across the state and the nation" over the past week. She noted that many threats posted on social media are being copied, pasted and shared.
"For example, there's a Calhoun County in Georgia, and there's a Calhoun County in West Virginia, so what happens when a threat is made to Calhoun County in Georgia, people think the West Virginia county is being threatened," Haines said. "What we are really trying to do in the upcoming weeks is to educate people that if they see something, they need to send in a report instead of sharing things on social media."
Wetzel County Schools Superintendent Cassandra Porter emphasized that sharing threats on social media is making the problem worse.
"It's causing chaos for our families and communities because instead of reporting a threat, people are just blasting them out," Porter said. "That's what happened with Calhoun County. The threats are shared and shared and shared, so they spread from Georgia to West Virginia."
Both superintendents stressed that individuals should report threats on the "See Something, Send Something" app instead of taking to social media when they see one. The reporting system allows individuals to submit tips for "Crime/Suspicious Activity" or "School Threat or Safety Issues" and may also request help for "Suicide or Addiction."
All iPads in Marshall County are equipped with the "See Something, Send Something" app for students to report threats. Haines noted that John Marshall High School students can also scan a QR code on their ID cards to report threats.
"The spread of these threats is causing people anxiety, and there are resources that are being used that could be used in other situations," Haines noted. "By all means, if you see any threat, whether you think it is real or fabricated, 100% report it. No matter how big or small, report the problem and do not share it because reporting can solve the problem."
According to Marshall County Emergency Medical Services Director Tom Hart, tips on the app are routed through the National Fusion Center. Once the tip is validated, it is sent to the West Virginia Fusion Center and disseminated to municipal, county and state law enforcement.
Hart said the past week has consisted of "a lot of communications and collaboration" between the school system, local law enforcement, and emergency medical services during the daytime and during off-hours to investigate threats.
Apart from managing online threats, Hart said local law enforcement and emergency management staff have been visiting schools and reviewing their emergency response plans as a "form of precaution."
"We want to err on the side of caution and the safety of the students and the staff at each one of these buildings and the community as a whole, first and foremost," Hart said. "The collaboration between us, law enforcement and school officials this week while dealing with all these issues has been a very positive experience."
Marshall County Schools Facilities Director Mike Price stressed that schools have upgraded security systems to protect against intruders in an emergency. All inside and exterior doors within Marshall County Schools, including classroom doors, are locked at all times.
Wetzel County Schools Attendance and Student Services Director Todd Barcus noted that the school system had upgraded its security measures, including glass man-traps at entryways and locked exterior and interior doors at all schools.
Marshall and Wetzel County Schools also increased law enforcement presence in their school buildings this past week to ensure student safety.
"One of the main things we hear from students is when they come to school, they want to feel safe, so having an extra law enforcement presence eases their mind," Porter said. "All precautions we have taken are to make students feel safe."