Potential threat made against MHS

MHS students respond to the threat made against MHS

According to McIntosh School Resource Officer Brandon Weathersby, nothing related to the threat on Oct. 5 has been found at McIntosh.

The volume of police presence was decreased on Friday.

“There were no other threats that were made. We don’t even know if [the threat] was towards McIntosh, that’s the reason why you see a decrease in police presence today,” Weathersby said.

However, administration is still taking steps to ensure student safety.

“We’re always walking in different hallways, checking to see if there’s any graffiti in the class, in the bathrooms, making sure we’re out there being seen. To make sure that we’re highly visible,” Weathersby said. “So it makes sure that people know there’s people here that do care; administrators are here to try to keep everybody safe.”

Weathersby encourages students to also be vigilant, and report anything they see that concerns them.

“We’re trying to do the best we can to find the people that share and post these messages. Also, to tell the students: Hey, if you see that message, say something, say something. If you see something, say something, say something to administrators, say something to a teacher, say something to a school resource officer. Because if we’re not going to be able to see everything.”

“We’re doing everything we possibly can to keep everybody safe at the school,” said Weathersby.

Lulu Vitulo, Managing Editor

Fayette Co. HS juvenile charged in connection with threat

A 14-year-old Fayette County High School student was charged on Oct. 4 in connection to the threats found circulating in an airdrop sent to students during the school day at Fayette County High, according to the Citizen.

The school instituted Code Orange and sent the school into a lockdown, and the day passed without incident. The threat was investigated by law enforcement, who were immediately notified, and a juvenile student was charged later.

Principal Yolanda Briggs-Johnson sent out an email to parents which stated, “Please be advised FCHS is under Code Orange. A threat has been made to the school in the form of an airdrop to students’ cell phones. FCHS has the Fayetteville Police Department on campus working with the school to investigate what has been sent to other students in the building. Be advised a Code Orange is when all doors of the school inside and outside are locked with no movement in the building (in or out). Please refrain from coming to the school. FCHS will have a rolling dismissal beginning at 3:45 p.m. today. Additional information will be sent at the conclusion of the investigation.”

Marjorie Smedley, Opinons Editor 

Starrs Mill – Two threats, one week

Yesterday morning, Oct. 6, Fayette County deputies reported to Starr’s Mill after another threat was made, this time in the girls restroom, according to The Citizen. This was after the threat from last Friday in a boys’ restroom caused a great disruption on Monday morning. After the threat Monday, Starr’s Mill’s principal Allen Leonard emailed parents alerting them to the threat, causing attendance on Monday to be affected. There have been no arrests of suspects at this time.

Starr’s Mill principal Leonard wrote in his email to parents, “These messages have caused major disruption at our school, and have caused anxiety and discord among students, parents and staff. This conduct is not reflective of the expectations and standards that Fayette County Public Schools and the Starr’s Mill High community have of students.”

Savannah Hayes, News Editor 

Potential consequences

Georgia state statute O.C.G.A. 16-11-37(b), “Terroristic Threats and Acts,” states that “a person commits the offense of a terroristic threat when he or she threatens to:

• “Commit any crime of violence;
• “Release any hazardous substance; or
• “Burn or damage property

“Such terroristic threat shall be made:

• “With the purpose of terrorizing another;
• “With the purpose of causing the evacuation of a building, place of assembly, or facility of public transportation;
• “With the purpose of otherwise causing serious public inconvenience; or
• “In reckless disregard of the risk of causing the terror, evacuation, or inconvenience described [above].

“A person convicted of terroristic threat will be punished as a misdemeanor. Misdemeanors carry the consequences of up to one year in jail or up to $1,000 in fines, or both. However, if the threat suggested the death of the threatened individual, the person convicted will be guilty of a felony and will be punished by a fine not to exceed $1,000, a prison term between one and five years, or both,” according to Justia.

Rebekah Bushmire, Editor-in-Chief