Sept. 23 (UPI) — Threats against schools are increasing following a shooting at a high school in Barrow County, Ga. It is a recurring phenomenon that follows many tragic events.
Four people were killed in the shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia on Sept. 4, including 14-year-old students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo and teachers Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie. A 14-year-old boy was taken into custody after allegedly bringing an AR-15-style rifle to the school and opening fire.
School shootings like the one in Georgia can spark copycats, leading to a rise in threats against schools, Amanda Klinger, Educator’s School Safety Network director of operations.
“We saw this after Parkland and after Uvalde. We see an uptick both from outside actors and also a percentage of those threats come from students,” Klinger said.
An alarming rash of threats has been reported across the United States since the Georgia shooting. Between Sept. 4 and 17, 98 juveniles were detained in the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice on charges of terrorist threats and school disruption, according to Glenn Allen, communications director. Fifty of them have since been released. The juveniles came from 56 of Georgia’s 159 counties.