In the wake of several incidents across the Golden Triangle and nation, law enforcement agencies are cracking down on social media threats toward schools.
In The Golden Triangle alone, social media threats have taken place in Starkville, West Point and New Hope.
The Armstrong incident took place the day after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, resulting in a stampede of parents checking out their children in response to a social media post. No harm came to anyone, and the school never went on lockdown.
“As powerful as social media can be for a communication tool, we just saw this morning how a post that isn’t true can create an unnecessary disruption for students, teachers and families,” Superintendent Eddie Peasant said following the Armstrong scare.
A second scare occurred the following week, when a social media post called for violence at “SHS,” however, authorities determined the abbreviation referred to Springfield High School in Springfield, Ohio.
On Feb. 23, a social media threat in West Point resulted in charges being filed against a West Point High School student in youth court. The initial tip to the West Point Police Department came from the FBI.
An incident in New Hope stemmed from threats being made toward New Hope High School on social media, which resulted in massive absences at the school Monday.
Several persons of interest were questioned, but no arrests were made.
Starkville Police Department Public Information Officer Brandon Lovelady urged citizens to research social media threats before believing them.
“Social media can be a great tool, but you also don’t want to desensitize people by putting false, or potentially false claims on social media,” Lovelady said.
Lovelady expressed concerns about the increased frequency of false social media threats desensitizing the public to the possibility of an actual incident.
"There’s been a good handful of scares that happened right then, just because everyone is on edge after all that happened,” Lovelady said. “If it needs to be told, please report it to us. If you see anything suspicious, please tell us.”
SOCSD Police Chief Sammy Shumaker voiced similar concerns about the frequency of social media threats. He also said law enforcement agencies would be as transparent as possible with the general public in the event of a major emergency.
“As we’ve seen in times past, incorrect information gets put on social media, and the public tends to believe that more so than they believe the authorities who are really in charge,” Shumaker said. “That will only call for a whole lot of disconnect and a major panic throughout the community when you’re going by inaccurate and incorrect information."