SCHOOL SHOOTING THREATS
After the tragic shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County last week, local school systems faced issues of online threats throughout the past week. School officials are reviewing their current safety protocols to ensure all measures are in place to keep students out of harm’s reach while on campus.
Toombs County Schools has recently dealt with their own concerns for students’ safety, as a Toombs County Alternative School student was found to have a weapon at school on August 26, and a student was arrested for terroristic threats on September 5.
On August 26, the Lyons Police Department was dispatched to the Toombs County Alternative School in reference to an unruly juvenile. Upon arriving at the school, the officers recognized the individual, having been familiar with him from past issues, and detained the student, as the Department of Jucontinued from page
venile Justice had issued a pick-up order on him prior to the officers’ arrival at the school. Upon detaining the student, officers searched his backpack and found a gun, which was later discovered to have been stolen from a store in Hazlehurst.
The student was transported to the appropriate facility for his crimes.
After this incident, the school released a statement, saying that no one was ever in danger, as the situation was quickly handled by the school resource officer, administration, and staff.
On September 5, the Toombs County Schools administration was alerted to a social media post on Snapchat, which insinuated that a school within the district was the target for a potential shooting. Upon notification of this post, the administration contacted law enforcement, who traced the post back to 17-year-old Toombs County High School Student Ezequiel Medina, of Lyons.
At around 5:45 a.m., Lyons police officers went to Medina’s residence, where they found no firearms. Medina was detained for questioning and initially stated that the post was a screenshot of a message sent to him from a friend, but later confessed to making the original post. He did not disclose why he created the message.
Medina was booked into the Toombs County Detention Center on charges of felony terroristic threats (2 counts) and criminal attempt to commit disrupting of public schools (misdemeanor). He remains in jail under a $12,000 property bond.
Toombs County Superintendent Barry Waller shared a comment regarding school safety after the recent events locally and statewide, which read, “In the wake of the senseless tragedy at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, where our thoughts and prayers continue to be directed, we have seen an uptick in “online suspicious behaviors” that include threats or threatening behavior. In working with law enforcement, the overwhelming majority of these threats do not originate in Toombs County, but are shared a multitude of times until it reaches Toombs County and our neighboring communities.
However, we take each report extremely seriously and vigorously investigate each report we get with the ultimate goal of keeping our students and staff safe. Over the last several years, we have taken proactive measures to make our building safer. Each day our schools operate in what used to be known as a “soft continued from page
lockdown” with all exterior and interior doors locked at all times. We recently invested in “Access Control” key cards for staff to be able to unlock doors to enter and exit every room. Without these key cards, access cannot be granted to doors/rooms. We have also installed security vestibules at the front of each school that limits access to the school offices upon entrance to any building. Recently we added “Centegix”, which is a safety badge that each employee in our system wears (along with their key card) that has the ability (with a push of a button) to notify the school administrative staff of an emergency, and in the unfortunate event of an extreme case lock the school down and notify 911.
As we continue to navigate these times, we will remain vigilant and continue to expand on research based safety and security measures to continue to fortify our buildings.
We would like to ask our parents in the community to continue to work with us to educate our kids on safely using social media. We live in a world captivated by “shares, likes and re-posts”. We ask for our kids not to “share, like or re-post” potential harmful or threatening material, but to notify an adult who can then notify us. Again, most of these harmful messages do not originate here but are shared enough to get here. Working together, we can continue to educate ourselves on properly using the various social media outlets that are in use today.”
Vidalia City Schools also dealt with their own social media threat issue, as the Vidalia Police Department was alerted to a potential threat that was posted on Snapchat around 11 a.m. on Sunday, September 8. After investigating the situation, law enforcement determined that the post was not made by anyone from the Vidalia City Schools or Toombs County Schools district, and that there was no immediate threat to the area.
The next day, on Monday, September 9, a verbal threat was made by a student in class within the school system. During the investigation, the Vidalia Police Department received unrelated information that led to the discovery of a BB gun in another student’s vehicle. The student in possession of the BB gun was not involved in the initial threat and is cooperating fully with the authorities.
Following the incidents, Vidalia City Schools Superintendent Sandy Reid also issued a public statement, which read, “We realize you have received a lot of communication from us over the past few days, and we truly appreciate your patience. In light of recent events, we believe it’s important to maintain open and transparent communication to preserve the trust between our school and our families. If that means overcommunication, then we hope you will accept our apologies. Our goal is to ensure you feel confident that we are doing everything we can to keep you informed and your children safe.
“The safety of our students and staff is always our top priority. We are working closely with Vidalia Police Department to ensure all necessary steps are taken to maintain a secure and safe environment for everyone in our school community.
“Thank you for your ongoing support and understanding as we navigate this situation. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.”
Treutlen County Schools also had concerns of social media posts, similar to those from Toombs County Schools and Vidalia City Schools, circulating through the community. After an investigation by the Treutlen County Sheriff’s Office, the messages were found to be a part of the widely circulated post that caused concerns for several other districts and was not a direct threat to the school system.
Superintendent Susan Stone commented on this issue, stating, “In light of the tragic events at Apalachee High School last week, there has been a noticeable increase in social media activity related to online threats across the state. While this surge is unfortunate, please be assured that both law enforcement and schools are handling these situations with utmost seriousness.
“Over the weekend, some of our parents and students raised concerns about social media posts circulating within a group of our students. After a thorough investigation, the Treutlen County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the messages causing concern were part of a widely circulated post that has been spreading rapidly across social media and was never a direct threat to Treutlen County Schools.
“As a proactive measure, you will notice an increased police presence on our campus in the coming days and weeks. This is intended not to raise concern but to offer additional reassurance to our school community. Our top priority remains the safety and well-being of all students, staff, and families.
“We appreciate your continued understanding and cooperation during these challenging times. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the school.”
Though they did not face any direct social media threats, other school administrators spoke on the safety of their facilities, and emphasized their focus on the issues.
The new Wheeler County School, which opened in 2022, and houses grades K-12 under one roof, has invested heavily in implementing the latest safety measures to provide a secure environment for the school’s 855 students.
Brandon Pope, Assistant Principal at Wheeler County School, and a member of the School Safety Team, commented on these safety measures. “Over the past two years, I have been fortunate to work with on our safety plan with our safety team. Part of our safety plan is that it stays in house and on a ‘need to know’ basis as much as possible. Luckily, we enjoy a close relationship with the Wheeler County Sheriff’s Office and other local departments. Our school resource officers (SROs) are an integral part of our planning process and they act as liaisons between the school and other law enforcement agencies,” Pope said.
The school administrator noted, “New safety grants from the state have allowed us to acquire Entry Denial Systems, ballistic film on windows and doors, and incredible emergency alert systems like the Centegix Alert System that was so critical in saving lives at Apalachee (High School in Winder). We are also able to take advantage of the School Dog app that allows administration and SROs to report issues across the board, to spot patterns of unsafe behaviors, and address issues in real time. We have been in contact with Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) to coordinate site visits and tabletop exercises.”
He added, “However, the truth is we are only ever as safe as our least vigilant moment allows. A $10 wet floor sign can easily defeat a $10,000 locking system if someone props a door open with it. We have to keep in mind that convenience is the end of safety. School safety is inconvenient, but it is absolutely necessary to keep our most valuable resources, our children, safe.”
Pope pointed out, “Our best defense is our people. It’s heartbreaking that we have to train our staff to face these challenges. Our teachers love and care for our students, build relationships with them, and look after their needs, but they also work hard to keep our building secure. They check doors when they pass, report issues as soon as they see them, and help us care for children in crisis. They are among the very best that our country has to offer, and we thank God for them every day.”
Meanwhile, at Montgomery County Schools, administrators are working with their school resource officers to ensure the facilities are secure.
“The school system has spent a lot of money in recent years to make sure that our buildings are as secure as possible. You have to check in with the office at every facility, and we even have two school resource officers that work in the buildings,” Superintendent Ronda Hightower stated.
The district also utilizes metal detectors at the middle and high school building to conduct random screenings of students to try and deter any potential threats, and regular lockdown drills are held to ensure that both students and staff know what to do in case of emergency.
One of the safety measures which Hightower most praised is the usage of Centegix badges by all school staff, which allows these employees to alert administration and emergency professionals on any issues that need to be addressed immediately. “When this button is pressed, it alerts everyone and shows the exact location of the threat. It is an amazing piece of technology which would really help in times of emergency,” she remarked.
Hightower also stated that the school is consistently reviewing all safety guidelines and protocols, as well as working to log any deficiencies in safety within the facilities so that they may be immediately addressed.
Robert Toombs Christian Academy Headmaster Scott Tuck spoke on the security of his facility, saying, “With the events that have occurred recently in our state, along with local social media activity, school safety is in the spotlight. As always. the safety of students and staff at RTCA is of utmost importance. Policies and procedures are in place to help ensure that safety. Also, administration and staff remain vigilant at all times students are on our campus or at school activities. Additionally, we are in continual contact with local law enforcement and emergency management to ensure appropriate measures are taken at any given time.”
Vidalia Heritage Academy Headmaster Jeff Mc-Cormick shared similar sentiments, as he remarked, “Our hearts break alongside those who are grieving over the senseless murder of 4 beloved students and faculty at Apalache High School, and our prayers go out for their families and the families of others wounded in this cowardly attack. Ironically, just moments before we received news of this horrific event, members of our staff and I were meeting and updating procedures for an active threat incident on any of our campuses and athletic facilities. This prompted a meeting of our School Safety Team (SST) along with our School Response Team (SRT) the next day. Unfortunately, the online threat made by a student in our area the next day placed everyone on high alert, as did information from law enforcement on Sunday about a possible threat in another local school. Our goal, like other schools in our area, is to protect our most valuable asset at VHA — our students and our staff.
Other than pure evil, there is one reason that schools, and there have been dozens this year alone, experience these types of violent events — they are soft targets filled with defenseless and vulnerable individuals. So, two years ago at VHA, we implemented policies, procedures, technology, and defense mechanisms that “harden” VHA as a target at all of our facilities. This included meetings and evaluations with both state and local law enforcement officials, and the formation of the School Safety Team (SST) which continually seeks to improve our readiness in the event of some active threat, and the School Response Team (SRT) comprised of VHA staff members. The SRT is armed and trained by qualified Range Masters, seasoned law enforcement, SWAT, and former military personnel, to run toward any threat to our students and staff and neutralize or eliminate that threat. Our goal is to never allow anyone intent on harming our students or staff into our buildings or on even on our campus grounds. There is so much more to this plan that we do not share with the public, but I will end with this paraphrase of President John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address in 1961: Let every person know, whether their intent toward VHA is for good or evil, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, and oppose any adversary to assure the survival and the success of our students and our staff. This much we pledge–and more.”
The school systems encouraged all students to speak up if they hear any safety concerns or threats, as the area plans to take the issue seriously in hopes of sparing everyone from potential tragedy.
