Lexington-Richland 5 sixth grader made threat to his school, police say

Update, 4:46 p.m.: This story has been updated to include a statement and additional information from the school district.

An 11-year-old student at CrossRoads Intermediate School was charged after making a threat to his school on social media, police say.

The student, a boy who is not being identified because he is a minor, allegedly made threats on social media, saying he was going to bomb the sixth-grade-only school and “shoot school buses,” according to a news release from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.

School administrators received screenshots of the student’s posts and notified the campus School Resource Officer about it, which looped in Lexington County police, according to the release. Sheriff Jay Koon said his department identified the student “with the help of Lexington-Richland 5.”

Police are still investigating the incident, and the student will appear in Lexington County Family Court.

A spokesperson for Lexington-Richland 5 said officials “quickly determined over the weekend that the threats were non-credible and posed no immediate risks to the safe operation of the school this week.” The district sent a letter out to parents informing them of the incident once law enforcement gave administrators the go-ahead to do so, according to Goggins.

The student will face “proper disciplinary actions,” she wrote in an email.

“We take all threats seriously, act immediately, and coordinate with law enforcement whenever threats are made. Safety is a top priority, and we will continue to work with law enforcement to ensure our schools remain safe places for our students to learn,” Goggins said.

Lexington-Richland 5’s middle and high schools have apps and “other electronic means” for students to anonymously report tips about threats or other incidents, Goggins said.

Lexington County has dealt with a wave of student threats. The CrossRoads Intermediate incident is at least the ninth such occurrence in the county’s schools since August.

This story was originally published September 24, 2019 at 3:19 PM.