Walton High School bomb threat just among hundreds since Apalachee shooting
Walton High School was placed on lockdown after someone called in a bomb threat on Sept. 17, 2024. (FOX 5)
COBB COUNTY, Ga. - Wednesday will mark two weeks since the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said a 14-year-old boy walked into Apalachee High School in Winder and opened fire, killing four people.
In the wake of the atrocity, hundreds of Georgia students have gotten themselves in trouble by making threats, even as jokes, and the trend shows no signs of slowing down.
In Cobb County alone, 60 threats impacting 40 schools have been made, according to the school district. Walton High School was the latest to receive one of those threats on Tuesday when someone called in to report a bomb threat.
There was no active threat to the campus, officials said.
SEE ALSO: Teen arrested for bringing gun onto Covington school bus, deputies say
District officials say the threats have been made through social media and called into the school district, including some third-party reports.
In nearby Johns Creek, the police department says there was a threat called to Northview High School. Police say it was just one of three locations across the state targeted by calls, some of which were made by individuals not directly connected to the schools.
Northgate High School in Coweta County says graffiti found in the girls' bathroom was also not a credible threat.
"We strongly encourage parents to discuss with their children the seriousness of this type of act, and the serious and lifelong legal consequences that are attached to such actions for anyone who perpetrates this type of act," principal Dr. Ashley Wilkes wrote to the Northgate community on Tuesday.
This same high school was the site where authorities say a 17-year-old East Coweta High School student came to the school’s football game last Friday night, armed with a handgun in his waistband. No one was injured.
VIDEO: Teen arrested at Northgate High football game with gun, police say
Some of the threats are now being called in from out of state. A 12-year-old from Texas was charged with making two bomb threats to Georgia schools a week after the Apalachee High School shooting. Both schools were in south Georgia.
Officials say each threat has to be treated as if it is real and time must be spent investigating each, time which could be used to help detect real threats.
READ MORE: 12-year-old from Texas charged with making 2 bomb threats to Georgia schools
More disturbing, several students have been arrested for trying to bring guns onto campus during school hours. The first was at Woodland Middle School in Henry County the Friday after the shooting. A week later, a Duluth Middle School student was also arrested trying to bring a loaded semi-automatic 9mm gun to school. On Monday, a Cousins Middle School student in Newton County, was arrested after showing a gun to his classmates on the bus. In all these cases, officials were able to intercept the weapon before it made it into the school building.
On Sept. 9, a 14-year-old Chestatee High School student in Hall County was searched on suspicion of drug possession. No drugs were found, but officials say a four-inch blade was seized.
The Cobb County School District, echoing the sentiment of most, if not all, districts across the state, pledges that anyone who disrupts school functions through threats will face the stiffest disciplinary actions and full legal prosecution.
Like many Georgia school districts, Cobb County offers online resources for parents and guardians on how to talk to children about threats, what safety measures are being taken, and how to spot threats.
FOX 5 has reached out to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to see to compare how threats this school year compare to years past, but has not yet heard from them.