Sheriff, School Superintendent Address "Hoax" School Threat

Darren Doyle, story:
Edmonson County Sheriff Shane Doyle and Edmonson County Superintendent of Schools Patrick Waddell have each made statements regarding a social media post circulating in the Arkansas and Kentucky regions about a perceived school threat.

Both the Sheriff and Superintendent have stated that these perceived threats are absolutely unsubstantiated; however, they each have described the plan of action regarding the threat, which has been labeled a hoax.

According to Supt. Waddell, the school was made aware of a Facebook post that was circulating referencing a school shooting in Kentucky on August 28th. The message was general in nature and did not specifically reference the Edmonson County School District, according to Waddell.

"Edmonson County School District and local law enforcement officials have investigated the threat, and believe it to be a hoax," said Waddell in a statement. "However, it is our commitment to remain vigilant regarding our security efforts to keep students and staff safe. It takes all of us working together to ensure that our campuses are safe. This is an opportune time to remind our community that if they “see something, say something.” Edmonson County School District, Edmonson County Sheriff’s Department, Brownsville Police Department, and other local state law enforcement agencies constantly work together to help make our schools as safe as possible.  There will be officers on campus this week, along with extra patrol around campus and at campus events. School administration and staff remain vigilant in providing a safe and secure learning environment for all students. As a matter of precaution, we take all threats toward our school communities of this nature very seriously. Student security and safety are of the utmost priority for our schools. We appreciate your partnership in keeping our schools the safest place for your student to learn and grow."

Sheriff Shane Doyle said much of the same and he said he wanted to emphasize two points: 1. Officers will be present all day at each Edmonson County school tomorrow, and 2. Sharing these types of social media posts need to be stopped.

"We take any threat or perceived threat to our local schools, communities, and children very seriously, and we immediately began investigating this possible threat as soon as we received information from the FBI and KY Dept. of Homeland Security," Doyle said.  "Both of these highly-trained and qualified agencies described this perceived threat as completely unsubstantiated and considered it nothing more than attention seekers on social media. While social media is an excellent way to share information quickly, there is also a huge disadvantage when incorrect or inaccurate info is also shared. If you see something on social media from a non-credible or unknown source, please do not share it. If you see something that appears threatening, again, please do not share it. Instead, please contact our office with your concerns and we will act accordingly," said Doyle. 

"Let me be clear, there is NO reason to find any credibility whatsoever to these unsubstantiated claims of a forecasted incident at Edmonson County Schools tomorrow; however, in a proactive effort to provide safety to our schools, we are providing an officer at each Edmonson County school tomorrow, for the duration of the school day. We feel there is absolutely NO reason to keep your child at home tomorrow. Please plan your school day as any other day and we are confident that students will be as safe as they are each and every day in Edmonson County," Sheriff Shane Doyle said.