LAURINBURG — Officials with Scotland County Schools, along with investigators with both the Laurinbu8rg Police Department and the State Bureau of Investigation were send scrambling Wednesday afternoon when a threat of violence was posted to a Facebook account.
According to Scotland High School Principal Larry Obeda, however, there was never a threat to students or staff at the high school or any of the other local schools.
“School administration, along with local and regional law enforcement and the SBI have been investigating the situation since it was brought to our attention (Wednesday) afternoon,” said Obeda in an email to all parents and guardians. “Based on that investigation, it has been determined that the post did not originate from any Scotland High School or Scotland County Schools’ student.”
He went on to say that the original post came from outside the county.
“… the post started in another county and, because of the viral nature of social media, it was shared here in our community,” Obeda said.
He added that any threat received is taken seri8ously by the school district and law enforcement.
“Please know that we take potential threats such as these very seriously and investigate to the fullest,” Obeda added. “Student and staff safety is always at the forefront of everything that we do.
“Parents, please take this opportunity to talk with your child about the seriousness of making threatening statements online, as well as talk with them about the proper use of social media,” he said.
W. Curt Vincent can be reached at 910-506-3023 or cvincent@laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com.
