At least five online posts have threatened violence following the deadly school shooting in Georgia and the I-75 shooting in Laurel County. In his Team KY briefing last week, Gov. Andy Beshear noted some threats against schools have been coming from out of state.
“You’ve got these awful people from around the country who send them to every school in a state,” said Beshear. “We knew we were going to get some threats because they were coming through Ohio, and they even called us to say expect these. That type of intent to create fear is just awful.”
Juveniles in Garrard, Marion, Adair, Muhlenberg, Lawrence, and Hardin counties have been arrested this week. The threats have also resulted in school closures for several districts in Eastern Kentucky as the manhunt continues for alleged I-75 shooter Joseph Couch.
“While we are concerned about the amount of time our students are missing due to these hoaxes, our primary concern is the safety and well-being of the students and staff members that are in our schools every day across Kentucky,” said Kentucky Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher in a statement.