Rumored threats prompt extra law enforcement at some Midlands high schools
Rumored threats led to an increased law enforcement presence at four Midlands high schools Monday.
Two to three extra officers from the Cayce Department of Safety were on hand at Airport and Brookland-Cayce high schools, spokesman Sgt. Evan Antley told The State. Both are in the Lexington 2 school district.
The Richland County Sheriff’s Department said it was aware of alleged threats circulating on social media mentioning A.C. Flora and Westwood high schools.
“At this time, we have not found any credible information to support them,” the sheriff’s department said. “Out of an abundance of caution, RCSD has extra patrols in the areas of both schools.”
In Cayce-West Columbia, the additional officers were on hand during class changes and lunch at Airport and Brookland-Cayce high schools, Antley said. The officers also plan to be at the two high schools for dismissal.
Despite the additional law enforcement presence, both schools operated on a normal schedule, Lexington spokeswoman Dawn Kujawa said.
Extra administrators were also at both high schools, according to Kujawa.
Lexington 2 sent an email to parents of the students at the schools to dispel additional rumors about any lockdowns.
“Throughout the morning, we have been made aware of rumors circulating on social media, including lockdown situations at our high schools,” the email said. “These are not true, and we know they can cause additional stress for our students, families and employees. Be assured that your child’s safety is our top priority.”
Information on the nature of the rumored threats and how they were relayed was not available.
Students reported seeing things on social media, according to Antley.
“Right now it’s just rumors, there’s nothing concrete,” Antley said. “At this point, it has disturbed the school day but it has not risen to a criminal threat.”
No information has been found to substantiate the rumored threats, according to Kujawa.
The school district encourages students and parents to report safety concerns immediately to a school administrator, school counselor, school resource officer, or any other employee.
At Westwood High School, the threat was made over the picture and video messaging app Snapchat and was likely not made by a Richland 2 student, spokeswoman Libby Roof told The State.
Like Lexington 2, Richland 2 did not cancel classes at Westwood High, but took extra precautions around lunch time when many students were gathered in a common room.
The Richland 1 security team investigated and found there was no threat against A.C. Flora, district spokeswoman Angela Crosland told The State.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published September 13, 2021 at 3:24 PM.
