Increased police presence at area schools following social media threat
Sep. 10—There was an increased police presence at area schools Tuesday due to unsubstantiated social media threats.
According to a statement issued by Mercer County School Superintendent Edward Toman, the school system was notified of a social media post regarding potential school-related threats.
Toman said the West Virginia State Police were immediately notified and all local law enforcement collaborated in the investigation. After interviewing multiple students, the state police deemed the threat to be unsubstantiated and not credible, according to Toman.
However, out of an abundance of caution and to ensure that students, staff and their families feel safe, Toman said there will be an increased police presence at all of the Mercer County school campuses. However, schools operated as normal Tuesday even with the added police presence.
"As a result of the recent events at schools across our nation, please speak with your children regarding their words and actions and the serious impacts of such," Toman said in the statement. "Any and all threats will be evaluated by our law enforcement and school officials, and appropriate disciplinary actions will be taken. If you see something, say something. It takes all of us working together to ensure the safety of our campuses."
The school system didn't elaborate on the details of the social media post.
Toman also didn't indicate the length of the increased police presence at schools in the county and whether it would be extended beyond Tuesday.
Social media posts threatening or suggesting violence have increased in frequency across the nation in recent years. Any such post that alleges or threatens violence at a school is investigated by law enforcement and school officials.
Contact Charles Owens at
— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com. Follow him @BDTOwens
