Recent Spike in School Threats Raises Concerns Across Upstate South Carolina

A Look at Recent School Threats in Greenville

Hello, Greenville! Over the past few weeks, our local Upstate school districts have been tackling a sudden uptick in school threats. It’s a concerning trend that’s started just a few days after a school shooting in Winder, Georgia, and we thought it would be important to give you a glimpse into what’s been happening at each county, from Anderson to Spartanburg to Greenville.

First, the Monday, Sept. 10 incident at T.L Hanna High School:

The Anderson District 5 officials reported a circulating threat connected to the school. However, our dedicated law enforcement officers found no valid threat. Nonetheless, there was a boost in law enforcement presence on campus that Monday as a precautionary measure. “‘We want to reassure you that our districts are working closely with state and local law enforcement agencies and take every reported threat seriously,’ the Anderson County school districts stated in a joint proclamation.”

Wednesday, Sept. 12:

A student in the 10th grade at Crescent High School was apprehended by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) in connection with making threats. The investigators’ use of the student’s digital footprints of online activity helped SLED in the course of their investigation.

Over at Spartanburg County:

The deputies at Spartanburg country reported they were vigilantly tracking multiple threats and working in close quarters with the school districts to investigate these.

What about Greenville County?

On Monday, Sept. 10, Greenville County Schools were alerted to a social media post discussing a potential threat towards Greer High School. The threat was deemed not credible, but not before causing some worry among students and parents. To ensure the students of their safety, the EVOLV weapons detection system inspected the campus.

That’s not all in Greenville County:

An alarming situation arose on Wednesday, Sept. 11, wherein a Greenville County student was charged for making threats of bringing a gun to school in a group text thread. Even though no firearms or weapons were discovered on the student, the seriousness of the matter led to the student’s removal from the school.

Moving on to Pickens County:

The district addressed threats directed at two individual high schools midweek. However, these threats turned out to be not credible.

Last but not the least, Laurens and Oconee Counties:

Both Laurens and Oconee counties did not escape from similar threats, but like the previous instances, the threats were not credible. Law enforcement took each threat seriously and investigated properly to ensure the safety and security of the students.

Finally, a word to the parents:

Sheriff Chuck Wright advises parents to teach their kids about the importance of reporting any threatening things they see or hear directly to school or law enforcement personnel. Let’s all work together to keep our communities safe, secure, and free from worry.