“These rumors travel so fast, it can lead students and parents to react before we’ve gotten the first call,” said Sheriff Ronnie Giles. “We want anyone who directly sees or hears any kind of threat to contact us immediately; don’t wait, and please don’t start sharing until you’ve talked to us. People who are texting or posting something on social media that’s not true are not helping anyone. In fact, it can lead to some serious consequences.”
Officials say that there are a number
of concerns about the fear and unease these incidents have created
for students, parents and educators.
“We’ve
seen in other places – some pretty close to home – that there are
enough real threats," Giles said. "All you’re doing is creating a panic by
posting or sharing this false information.”
"When it comes to threat of violence, we want to – have to – investigate every rumor we hear, even if our best instinct tells us it’s most likely a hoax. But good investigating is a time-consuming process," Dr. Casey Allen, superintendent of Ballard County Schools. "Our first priority is to make sure everyone is safe. After that, it can take several hours to determine the facts. And we can’t communicate with families or the public until we know what those facts are.”
Dr. Allen continued, “We would ask that you trust your sheriff’s office and your school staff to make good decisions about campus safety. Please be assured, we all are doing our best to find out what is happening as quickly as possible, and all of us are taking every one of these threats seriously.
“And to our Bomber families: We need your help on this,” said Dr. Allen said. “We are addressing it with students at school, but if you haven’t already, please have an open and honest conversation with your children about the dangers of using social media irresponsibly.
“We know that these concerns are coming from uncertainty – people are naturally worried about their children. Many of our staff members, and sheriff’s deputies have students in school here, too,” Dr. Allen continued. “Sometimes kids – and adults – become frightened, and share information before thinking about it. We ask that you and your children talk about the power such sharing can have, and whether it’s being used for good or for bad.”
