BUCKHANNON — The Upshur County School system is taking extra precautions this week due to unsubstantiated online threats made to schools across West Virginia and other states.

Districts across West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Florida, Indiana and Arkansas all reported receiving threats Wednesday. The threats have been deemed not credible.

Upshur County Superintendent of Schools Christy Miller said local law enforcement agencies were notified of the threat and are taking additional measures to protect schools out of an abundance of caution. She also asked parents, students and community members not to share the social media posts but instead report them.

“On the night of September 11, 2024, Upshur County Schools became aware of a social media post indicating a threat to schools around West Virginia on Friday,” Miller said in a letter released to the community Thursday morning. “Upshur County Schools took immediate action to start assessing the post by working with the Upshur County Sheriff’s Department, the West Virginia Department of Education and other law enforcement agencies assisting around the state.”

The information indicated that the post cannot be substantiated,” she added.” However, out of an abundance of caution, additional measures were taken this morning at our schools, including having additional members of the Upshur County Sheriff’s Department present throughout today.”

Upshur County Sheriff Mike Coffman said that the social media threats were not credible.

“On September 11, 2024, Upshur County School Officials and the Upshur County Sheriff’s Department were made aware of threats made against school facilities posted to social media platforms,” Coffman said in a statement Thursday morning. “These types of threats have been made against schools in multiple neighboring states and have been deemed not credible.”

Coffman stressed local law enforcement are focused on making sure schools operate safely.

“The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office and the Buckhannon Detachment of the West Virginia State Police have taken appropriate action to ensure the safety and security of the students and facility of all Upshur County Schools facilities,” he said.

Other schools in West Virginia also reported receiving threats, including Fairmont Senior High School.

“After a comprehensive review by law enforcement and school officials, it has been determined that the threat is not credible,” the school said in a statement. “We want to reassure you that all students and staff at Fairmont Senior High School are safe, and the school day is continuing as normal.”

The FBI said Wednesday it is investigating after dozens of school districts received similar threats.

“The FBI is aware of recent threats directed toward multiple school districts across Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia,” the FBI office in Pittsburgh said in a statement. “We remain in close coordination with our law enforcement partners to provide assistance where appropriate.”

The FBI noted that making threats of violence is illegal, and they will pursue individuals who make them.

“Issuing a threat of any kind promoting violence can be a violation of state and/or federal law,” according to the FBI. “Those found responsible will be thoroughly investigated, and FBI Pittsburgh will immediately engage with our local, state, and federal partners to leverage the full extent of the law. These threats disrupt school, waste resources, and put first responders and innocent people in unnecessary danger.”

With online threats becoming more frequent on social media, Miller asked that parents talk with their children about how to interact with the content.

“We ask that all guardians please have a conversation with their children to please not repost or share social media posts but instead report those social media posts via the See Send Mobile Application or website, to the schools, or directly to law enforcement,” she said. “By refraining from sharing and reposting this content we can prevent unwarranted worry and disruption to our law enforcement partners. Reporting this content allows us to make concerted efforts to create and maintain safe schools.”

The Citrus County Sheriff’s Department in Florida explained how sharing these types of content can quickly make them go viral, resulting in situations like the one being experienced around the country Thrusday.

“Last week, after the tragic school shooting in Georgia, a ‘rumor’ about a list of target schools was mentioned during one of the press conferences,” the Citrus County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. “Since then, through social media platforms, ‘lists’ began to appear. These ‘lists’ were shared, went viral, and then edited multiple times to make the ‘list’ applicable statewide.”

The department said sharing unconfirmed information on social media can make finding the person behind the threats more difficult.

“Social media and the ‘sharing’ of false information lead to chaos, and the more these ‘threats’ are shared, the more difficult it becomes to track down sources,” the statement said.

Instead of sharing, report the content to law enforcement. The FBI also has a hotline to report threats.

“FBI Pittsburgh stands committed and ready to respond to any immediate threat involving any educational institution 24 hours a day,” the FBI statement says. “We encourage students, teachers, administrators, and parents to remain vigilant and to promptly report suspicious activities that could represent a threat to 911, to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or online at tips.fbi.gov.”

Coffman said the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office is also looking for information on the origin of the threats.

“Our agency will continue to work with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to investigate these and any threats made against education facilities,” he said. “Anyone with information relating to the origin of these threats, please contact the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office at 304-472-1182 or 304-472-9550.”

Miller stressed that while social media threats can cause fear in the community, the school system and local law enforcement are dedicated to keeping students safe.

“We know that these situations can cause fear and concern for our children, parents and our
community,” she said. “We will continue to assess and monitor, collaborate, and communicate. Additional precautions are being considered for tomorrow. We want to extend a thank you to our local law enforcement agencies that have stepped up, as always, to keep our children safe. The Upshur County Sheriff’s Department, WV State Police and the Buckhannon Police Department are reliable partners to help us navigate these trying times to secure our learning environments.”