As of 11 a.m. Thursday, there have been 203 reported tips in the past two weeks related to school threats, affecting 37 counties and 79 schools in the state, according to Robert Cunningham, deputy secretary of the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security.
“There are people being held accountable,†Cunningham said during a presentation that was part of Gov. Jim Justice’s Thursday media briefing.
Cunningham reported the arrests of 23 people in the state, adults and juveniles, regarding alleged school threats.
Last week, the governor directed the Department of Homeland Security to establish the School Safety Task Force, to address the uptick in school threats statewide.
Also presenting at the media briefing was Jack Luikart, director of the West Virginia Fusion Center. According to from the governor’s office, the fusion center, under the direction of homeland security, is coordinating response efforts and investigations into these school threats at the state level.
“Whether it’s a joke or whether it’s a real threat, [the students] may not be aware of the seriousness of that, all the way down to just sharing a threat,†Luikart said during the briefing.
Luikart said a new task force initiative has begun in partnership with local stakeholders such as county prosecutors, county boards of education, schools and law enforcement. The group will encourage educational assemblies at schools to explain the legal penalties of being involved in creating or perpetuating school threats.
This program will initially focus on students in both middle and high schools.
Luikart also said these assemblies will educate students on the falsehood that once a threat is deleted from social media, it can’t be recovered.
“These things can be tracked back to the original person,†Luikart said.
“We’ll do all we possibly can to put an end to this,†Justice said about school threats, encouraging people who see something, to report it.
The state has partnered with the technology company to implement a “see something, send something†reporting system. According to a news release from the governor’s office, all West Virginians are encouraged to participate in this initiative by downloading the free See, Send app for their mobile devices. My Mobile Witness’s technology is also compatible with web-based reporting and is not strictly for cell phone use.
“The West Virginia Department of Homeland Security reminds all West Virginians to immediately call 911 if there is an immediate danger or law enforcement intervention is necessary,†stated the governor’s recent news release.
Beth Sergent is the political reporter. She can be reached at 304-348-2731 or email at bsergent@hdmediallc.com.
