Online threats delivered to Preston High School and Central Preston Middle School on Thursday prompted district officials to lock down the two buildings before eventually releasing students early.
All extracurricular activities for the evening were also canceled.
Meanwhile, threats of the same vein across West Virginia targeting at least 50 schools, all told, in recent days also put principals, superintendents and local police on alert — as the menacing overtures were being investigated.
One other such threat Thursday morning at Fairmont Senior High in neighboring Marion County was later deemed to be false, officials there said.
Meanwhile, Morgantown High School is among the schools on a hit list circulating via the social media service Snapchat that also promises violence — Friday at MHS, in this case.
“I guess the list has been out since Tuesday,” Mon’s superintendent Eddie Campbell Jr. said Thursday.
“We found out about it this morning.”
Campbell in response immediately called a meeting with safety professionals from the state Department of Education, plus local law enforcement.
“Right now, we’re being advised to keep the safety protocols in place that we always have,” the superintendent said.
“We’re not canceling class,” he said.
But Mon Schools, he said, also isn’t downplaying anything either.
“These threats are very disruptive to our school system,” said Campbell, who didn’t divulge their nature. “We absolutely have to take them seriously. We absolutely have to investigate every single one.”
Across southern West Virginia, the threats have carried over at least to neighboring Tazewell County, Va.
In the north-central part of the Mountain State, a number of other schools in nearby western Pennsylvania got the Pittsburgh division of the FBI involved, releasing a statement promising a full investigation and full accountability for any perpetrators involved.
“The FBI is aware of recent threats directed toward multiple school districts across Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia,” the statement read.
“We remain in close coordination with our law enforcement partners to provide assistance where appropriate,” the bureau continued.
“That includes gathering intelligence, sharing information, tracking down leads and working with partners to identify and mitigate threats quickly and effectively.
“Issuing a threat of any kind promoting violence can be a violation of state and/or federal law. Those found responsible will be thoroughly investigated, and FBI Pittsburgh will immediately engage with our local, state and federal partners to leverage the full extent of the law.
“These threats disrupt school, waste resources and put first responders and innocent people in unnecessary danger.
“FBI Pittsburgh stands committed and ready to respond to any immediate threat involving any educational institution 24 hours a day.
“We encourage students, teachers, administrators and parents to remain vigilant and to promptly report suspicious activities that could represent a threat to 911, to the FBI at 800-CALL-FBI, or online at tips.fbi.gov.”
The origin of the threats, to date, are coming from outside West Virginia, the bureau said.
Look for full local accountability, Campbell said, should any subsequent ones turn out to be home-grown.
“If we find out it’s anyone associated with our school system, we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law,” he said. “These are terroristic threats.”
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