Feb 19, 2018 6 min read

Five local school districts took extra security measures Monday after student conversations on social media last week left some of the students feeling unsafe.

It’s unknown if the incidents involving students at Bentworth, Canon-McMillan, Bethlehem-Center and Central Greene are connected in any way, but they all appear to have been spurred by students discussing school violence on social media. The incident at Carmichaels Area involved an alleged threat that was later found not to be credible that spread through social media.

The incident at Beth-Center began Wednesday, when middle school students had a discussion on violence in the school.

In a notice sent to parents Sunday evening and posted on its website, the district said administrators investigated the incident and found it to be “nonthreatening.”

“Since that time rumors have been at the highest level,” the message said.

The district said the student “at the center of attention” would not be at school Monday. The district said the investigation is ongoing, but that there is no threat to the district.

“Extra security will be at the schools until those responsible for causing fear in our community receive appropriate consequences and every comment has been fully explored,” the message said. “The school district takes all threatening remarks seriously and will do everything to keep everyone safe at all times.”

Bentworth administrators encouraged parents to talk to their children about social media Sunday night, after they were made aware of a Snapchat discussion among students about school not being safe on Monday.

The district notified local and state police, identified the student of discussion and contacted that student’s parent. The district said that while the situation is investigated, that student will remain at home. The district also had police at the high school Monday.

“This presence is to ease student and parent concern while the investigation is conducted and there is no need for concern,” the district’s message said. “These situations provide an opportunity for us to speak with our children regarding the complexities of social media. Please encourage them to bring safety issues to your attention and to not perpetuate negative situations.”

Bentworth Superintendent Scott Martin said he’s unsure if the situations at the four districts were connected.

“We are all in close proximity. I wonder if that communication just spread and if there was a fanning of the flame,” he said.

Martin also said sensitivity to school violence has been heightened due to the Parkland, Fla., school shooting that left 17 people dead last week.

“I’m not sure how students cannot be concerned or afraid by what they see on the news,” he said. “The most recent incident in Florida is very, very tragic. I definitely believe the parents are more sensitive and for good reason. I truly believe the only way to combat this kind of violence is through education.”

Martin said the district currently has no “evidence or hard proof” that the student in question said anything violent or inappropriate.

“We try not to make parents worry and try to get the information out. Uunfortunately, I think it also scares people at the same time,” he said.

Martin said that within the next few weeks Washington County Emergency Management will be talking with students about this situation as well as the Florida shooting and how Bentworth would respond in an active shooter situation.

“I don’t know if we’ll be able to make sense of this situation, but we can learn from it,” Martin said.

In a similar message, Canon-McMillan Superintendent Michael Daniels addressed the incident within its district, saying it began when middle school students had a discussion on Snapchat that “led to the idea that it would be unsafe to attend the middle school on Monday.”

The district investigated the situation over the weekend, notified police, identified the involved students and notified their parents, Daniels said in his message. Daniels said that while the district had a police presence at the school Monday, he is “confident” that the school is safe and there’s “no reason for concern.”

“This is a good opportunity for you to sit down with your child and discuss appropriate use of social media and the need to avoid creating dramatic or inflammatory situations,” he said in the district message. “We want our students to know that should they see something suspicious or inflammatory in nature to report it to their parents or a school official. They should not be passing it on or commenting about it on social media.”

In Greene County, Carmichaels Area School District and Margaret Bell Miller Middle School in Waynesburg both reported unsubstantiated threats over the weekend.

Carmichaels Superintendent John Menhart said administrators notified parents Monday morning of the alleged threat that was investigated twice – once by the school district and then again by police – and deemed not credible.

“The school was safe, and if it wasn’t safe, we wouldn’t be here,” Menhart said about classes Monday.

The security director and administration investigated a tip that a student reported to a teacher Friday, and determined it was unfounded. The same tip was then passed along to state police over the weekend, Menhart said, who then forwarded it to Cumberland Township police. Local police investigated it and also determined it not to be credible.

A student reported information regarding another student. Police spoke with the student in question and searched the home, where no weapons or evidence of a plot was found.

“This kid is going to be, in the end, a victim more than a perpetrator,” Menhart said, adding that neither student would face punishment for the situation.

Menhart said he had an assembly with students Monday to address the incident and lamented how the rumors of a threat spread on social media.

Students and parents in the Central Greene School District also received an alert Monday that there would be an increased police presence Tuesday at the middle school, due to unsubstantiated rumors on social media. Superintendent Helen McCracken wrote in a message posted on the district’s website that school officials were working with their resource officer and local and state police to create a plan to ensure the students are safe. She said there was no credible threat to the school or its students.

She also asked parents to talk to their children about the dangers of posting unsubstantiated information on social media.

“We ask that you speak with your children about the power and appropriate use of social media,” McCracken wrote. “Also, ask them to bring any unusual issues to your attention, and/or to school staff and administration, and to not participate negatively online.”