Charles County Superintendent of Schools, Kimberly A. Hill, Ed.D. has sent parents and staff an email about social media threat investigations.
Below is a copy of the letter and the Charles County Board of Education Facebook posts concerning this incident.
November 14, 2018
Dear Parents/Guardians:
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is investigating Snapchat posts that made threats of violence against two high schools. Police have identified the students they believe are responsible for the posts, and they do not believe the threats are credible. It was determined that both schools were safe to open and operate on a normal schedule. We would not open any school if we did not believe it was safe.
What we know at this time is that late last night Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) received information about a Snapchat post making a threat involving Henry E. Lackey High School. CCPS immediately began working with the Sheriff’s Office to investigate. Early this morning the Sheriff’s Office identified a suspect and assured us that there was no information that the threat was credible.
This morning we learned there was also a Snapchat post about Maurice J. McDonough High School spreading a rumor of a threat to students at McDonough. Police also verified this threat was not credible.
We provided information on our social media outlets as soon as we received verified and corroborated information from police. We cooperate fully with our law enforcement partners and we do not post unsubstantiated information or interfere with investigations. We thank everyone who shared information and reported it to the school system and police instead of reposting it.
We want to assure parents that we are aware of the posts and that our principals and staff at all CCPS schools remain diligent in maintaining a safe school atmosphere. CCPS takes all threats seriously and we investigate them thoroughly with police.
I know rumors and social media posts threatening violence worry us about the safety of our children. I want to reassure the community that safety is our first priority, and we do all that we can to maintain security in our buildings.
We continue to ask that parents or students contact the Sheriff’s Office or a school administrator immediately if you believe there is a threat to safety. CCPS also has an online reporting tool, See Something, Say Something, at https://www.ccboe.com/index.php/see-something-say-something
Sincerely,
Kimberly A. Hill, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
