Swain County Schools notified the public on Sunday that the district had received a threat on social media. The post stated as follows:
“On Sunday afternoon, Jan. 8, Swain County Schools was notified of a social media post threatening the safety of students on the middle school campus. The administration and local law enforcement quickly responded to the threat. Law enforcement officers from Cherokee and Swain County quickly investigated and began to locate the origin of the threat.
“Based on information received from law enforcement officials, Swain County Schools has taken appropriate action to protect all students and staff in our schools. Swain County Schools considers every threat to be serious and has taken appropriate disciplinary action to protect all students. The school system is concerned for the welfare of every student and will not comment as to the extent as to any disciplinary action.
“Swain County Schools will operate on a regular schedule on Monday, Jan. 9. The Swain County Sheriff’s Department is collaborating with the school system to provide additional security while this concern is addressed. Thank you to all in the community that shared the social media threat with school officials. This allowed the action of the school system and law enforcement to be quick and effective.”
Responses to the announcement were mixed, with some parents calling for the district to cancel school for a few days to some wondering if the Sheriff’s Department needed to be involved.
On Monday afternoon, Sheriff Curtis Cochran responded to follow-up questions from Smoky Mountain Times by email.
“I can confirm that a threat was made on social media, and it appears to be from a student. My office has been working on this and is continuing the investigation into this incident. Our investigation, at this time, does not indicate an immediate threat of harm to any of the schools. We have been in constant contact with the school administration and feel confident that the schools are safe and should operate on a regular schedule.
We take these threats seriously and will do everything in our power to make sure the person making any threats to the schools are held responsible.
If anyone has any information on someone making threats, do not hesitate to contact Law Enforcement immediately. The Sheriff's Office number is 828-488-0159 or call dispatch at 828-499-2196 or 911.”
The district provided the following update on Monday afternoon.
“Swain County Schools would like to provide closure to the incident yesterday involving a possible threat to Swain Middle School posted on social media. In cooperation with the Swain County Sherriff’s Department, we have concluded our investigation of the origins of the posting and are pleased to report that there is no safety threat to any Swain County School. Again, per federal law, we must maintain student confidentiality however, Swain County Schools can assure patients that all threats are taken seriously, investigated promptly, and those involved receive appropriate punishment based on the facts. We would like to thank our Swain Family for their quick response in helping alert us as well as their patience and understanding as the investigation was conducted.”