Less than a week after a Franklin High student made a threat of mass violence against their school, a Nantahala student is now facing the same charge for a separate incident.
“On Monday Sept. 9, Nantahala School administration received information that a student made a threat of violence against the school,” the Macon County Sheriff’s Office stated.
Authorities interviewed the student in question and charged them with one felony count of communicating a threat of mass violence on educational property.
“No further information will be released on the student as they are a juvenile. Nantahala School is not considered to be under any type of threat at this time,” MCSO stated. “We want to urge parents to speak with their children about how their words matter. In this day and age, we have zero tolerance for any comments made that put any Macon County school’s safety into question.”
“We are thankful for the partnership between our schools, the Macon County Sheriff’s Office, and our students and staff who were involved in reporting this incident,” Macon County Schools stated. “Let this serve as a reminder that any and all threats are take very seriously. If you see or hear something, report it.”
The threats made by students comes after the Sept. 4 shooting at Apalachee High School near Winder, Georgia, (around 100 miles south of Franklin) where two students and two teachers were killed and nine more people were injured. A 14-year-old is facing felony murder charges, while their father is charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter for having bought the gun as a gift for their child.
“Macon County Sheriff’s Office and Macon County Schools’ top priority is the safety of our children, and we will continue to thoroughly investigate any potential threats to school safety,” MCSO stated. “Those who are found to have communicated threats regarding school safety will be charged accordingly.”