BUCKHANNON, WV — On Monday, schools in Upshur County were placed on a two hour delay schedule after a threat was made on social media. According to a joint press release by the Upshur County Sheriff’s Department and Upshur County schools, officials were alerted at approximately 5 a.m. of a potential threat to Bridgeport and Buckhannon-Upshur High School students.
The IP address of the threatening post was traced to Bridgeport, TX, and the investigation concluded that the threat was not directed toward schools in West Virginia. The confusion was based upon cities and counties in Texas that share the same names.
“Our first priority is to keep our students and staff safe, providing a safe learning and working environment for them,” expressed Superintendent Dr. Sara Lewis-Stankus. “All threats are taken seriously and thoroughly investigated, always erring on the side of safety. We are pleased with the quick response and collaboration among all of the agencies involved.”
According to Fox 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, additional law enforcement officers were placed around the school campuses in Bridgeport, TX, to ensure the safety of the students.
Furthermore, according to the Wise County Messenger, the threats made in Texas did not name a specific school.
“There’s no school named. We don’t have a specific threat. We’re trying to track down information,” Bridgeport Police Chief Steve Stanford said. “We’re working with the Wise County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI’s terrorist task force. They have resources that we don’t have. We’re looking at the evidence and trying to track down the IP address.”
The message was also made anonymously through the app YOLO and is still being investigated.