Lee Co. school and law enforcement officials issue joint statement after alleged social media threat

LEESBURG, Ga. – Lee County School officials increased police presence at schools across the district following an alleged social media threat to a Lee County school.

Late this afternoon the Leesburg Police Department, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and Lee County Board of Education issued the following joint statement:

“Last night the Lee County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a concerned parent involving an alleged threat against a Lee County school. The Sheriff’s Office and the Leesburg Police Department started investigating immediately.”

“The Lee County School System, Leesburg Police Department, and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office take all of these concerns seriously and we use our resources to investigate every issue. All reported concerns have been investigated and at this time there are no substantiated threats to the students or staff at any Lee County school.”

“Since the inception of the report, all three organizations have been working closely together to look into the concerns and ensure students would be safe at school. When students and families see posts, share them on social media platforms, and discuss what was seen with friends and other community members, it leads to rumors and confusion in the school community.”

“We encourage students and parents to not circulate unsubstantiated messages of this nature on social media, but to instead report anything that may be interpreted as a safety threat to the Anonymous Alerts platform, a teacher or administrator, or the Leesburg Police Department and/or Lee County Sheriff’s Office. We also want to remind students that making threats to student and staff safety, whether verbal or online, in school or out of school – regardless of intent – will result in serious consequences from both law enforcement and the school system.”

“Our School Resource Officers work with students in our schools daily to ensure a safe learning environment, and our school district works closely with the Leesburg Police Department and Lee County Sheriff’s Office on all matters of safety that affect our schools. Reporting this type of information directly to authorities will ensure the matter is addressed immediately and with the best available resources.”

“Thank you for your support as we work together to keep our schools the safest possible learning environments for our students, staff, and community”

This is a developing story. Stay with CBS 44 South Georgia for more updates as information becomes available.

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