A metro Atlanta student was arrested Friday after he sent a threatening message on Snapchat, a spokesperson with Fulton County schools said.
The male student is 12 years old and attends Sandy Springs Charter Middle School. Donna Lowry with Fulton County schools said he was arrested by Sandy Springs police and is being charged with terroristic threats.
Officials did not say exactly what the post said, but the post was shared around by students at Sandy Springs Charter Middle School and Centennial High School in Roswell. Some Centennial students shared the Snapchat with others with a message that said “stay safe,” Lowry said.
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Centennial principal Kibbey Crumbley sent a message to parents Thursday night saying the school was aware of the threatening post and said the school would have extra security on Friday. Sandy Springs Charter Middle School also had increased security Friday.
“(We) thank the students and parents who did exactly the right thing and when they saw something, said something,” Crumbley wrote. “It is important that students know that we take student safety very seriously and we are constantly monitoring everything at our school to ensure we are safe.”
In an email sent Friday morning, Crumbley said Fulton County Schools Police worked with law enforcement in Roswell and Sandy Springs to find the student responsible for the threats and that he is now in custody.
Sandy Springs Charter Middle School principal Keynun Campbell has not made a public statement on the incident. Lowry said that parents of students at the school were notified of the incident in a letter. The AJC has reached out to Campbell for comment.
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"Once the authorities were able to go interview this student, interview this student's parent, and conduct an initial search of the house, they were able to quickly determine that although charges will be filed, there is no threat whatsoever in this particular incident," Shannon Flounnory, Fulton County Schools Safety and Security Executive Director, told Channel 2 Action News.
The student will face criminal juvenile charges and discipline from the school, officials said.
This comes less than two days after 17 people were shot and killed in a school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Because some parents and students in north Fulton County were confused as to which school was the target of the threats, Roswell High School principal Robert Shaw made clear in an email to parents that no threats were made to the school. Roswell High and Centennial High are just seven miles apart.
The AJC has requested more information about the incident from Sandy Springs police.
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