Parents urged to talk to kids about social media use amid uptick in school threats

ANNAPOLIS - Anne Arundel County Public Schools and the police department reported an uptick in school threats that have surfaced on social media.

The threats against the county have been deemed unfounded, according to the district. 

Since the Winder, Georgia shooting where investigators said a 14-year-old student shot and killed four people inside Apalachee High School, and the shooting death of 15-year-old Warren Grant at Joppatowne High School in Harford County this month, AACPS believes these threats are part of a regional and national trend. 

Superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell's YouTube series 'Thursday Thoughts' on Sept. 19 was woven in the theme that the district will take all threats of violence against any of its schools seriously. 

"We as a community have to come together and have to say enough is enough," Dr. Bedell said. 

About 42 school threat tips over the last 36 hours were submitted statewide, the district stated.

Primarily, the tips from across several counties in the state were shared on social media platforms. 

"We've had 14 tips in the last 24 hours in Anne Arundel County," Justin Mulcahy said. 

Mulcahy, a spokesperson for the Anne Arundel County Police Department said screenshots of threats have been shared by people with large social media platforms, which has further spread fear and panic within the community.

"Quite frankly, it taxes police resources," Mulcahy said. "We have to divert resources, it taxes school system resources from responding to the school to investigating it to following up with detectives to home visits."

Officials with the school district and police department jointly urge parents and guardians to have conversations at home with their students about acceptable use of social media.

A mother of four children in the public school system, Mimi Boyd said since the start of this school year, two of her children's campuses received threats of violence. 

"Picture how your mother would feel if anything happened to you," Boyd said. "So, even if y'all playing it as a prank to get out of school, whatever the case may be, your mom's not taking it lightly, your dad's not taking it lightly, grandma, whoever is raising you is not taking it lightly because it's a serious matter."

Suspected threats of violence should be shared directly to the AACPD or AACPS, not to be further spread on social media, the separate entities said.