STARKVILLE — When Starkville High School officials received a tip of a threat on social media Monday, the school went into a modified lockdown for roughly an hour.
A Facebook post from an account with only three friends, no prior posts and no pictures began circulating around 11 a.m. Monday morning. The post included a picture of three firearms with ammunition laying on a seat of a car with the caption, “Starkville high school get ready to rumble im coming for you.”
Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Superintendent Tony McGee said as of Monday evening, school officials were unsure of where the threat originated, but investigators from local law enforcement are working with the district to find the suspect.
“Area law enforcement continues to actively investigate where this post originated,” McGee said in an email to The Dispatch. “At this time, a suspect has not been apprehended or charged. Investigators have determined the photo is not a recent photo.”
McGee said it is important to report something suspicious, and the district operates on the “see something, say something” principle.
A student reported the post to a teacher who then alerted school administration.
The school operated on a modified lockdown from roughly 11 a.m. to noon. A modified lockdown is when instruction inside a classroom resumes as normal, but no one is allowed outside of the classroom for any reason until the lockdown period is lifted by school authorities.
Once the lockdown was lifted, the school day proceeded as normal.
McGee said safety is the top priority in the district.
“We are alert and aware, and we are committed to providing a safe, secure and welcoming environment for our students to learn every day,” McGee said. “Our school district has an enormous responsibility to care for our students and staff, and their safety and security is our first priority. All threats to school safety and security are taken seriously and those involved will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
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