Becky Long
Publisher
The Apalachee High School shooting that occurred about 90 miles from here in Winder, Ga. left two students and two teachers dead and nine others injured. It also rekindled fears of local parents who learned of potential threats to our schools.
On Sept. 4, the same day as the Winder tragedy, Clay County School officials received a tip regarding a threat of violence against a Hayesville school, according to a release from Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Joe Wood.
“School officials immediately notified law enforcement and a mutual investigation began,” Wood said in the release. “The source of the threat was identified on this same date and found to be a juvenile student. The N.C. Department of Juvenile Justice sought and received a Secure Custody order for said juvenile which was served the same evening.”
On Sept. 6, school and law enforcement officials were notified of a possible threat that turned out to be a misunderstanding.
A juvenile spoke with another juvenile through social media, who stated there was, or would be a school shooting and did not specify which school. The incident turned out to be a misunderstanding, according to the news release.
Wood said school officials and law enforcement interviewed several students and parents and with their help, the juvenile was identified to be living in Ellijay, Ga. That juvenile and parents were interviewed and it was determined that the juvenile did not state there would be a school shooting, but thought they were being asked if there was a school shooting prior in the week at which the juvenile responded with “yes.”
Wood said thanks to the help from the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, Union County Sheriff’s Office and the Clay County Schools, it was determined that this threat was not credible.
Clay County Schools kept parents informed through social media posts on their Facebook page.
High school principal Stacey Overlin posted, “Because student and staff safety is always our highest priority, we immediately began working with law enforcement and juvenile justice to address this concern. At this time, we feel confident that school will be a safe environment for your child and we look forward to seeing them at school tomorrow. Thank you to the students who did the right thing in reporting this to staff and thank you to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office for your prompt response. “