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Local school and law enforcement officials were right on the mark in their advice for people who, when they see a possible school threat posted online, run right to social media to share it. The first people they should share it with are the authorities.
Marshall County Schools Superintendent Shelby Haines, Wetzel County Schools Superintendent Cassie Porter and Marshall County Sheriff Bill Helms made that clear at a recent press conference. They called the event after threats were made to several school systems in the Ohio Valley. Some went on lockdowns. Others canceled school altogether for safety reasons. Investigations led to multiple arrests of those who made the threats.
What complicates matters, the officials said, is when people choose first to share a possible threat on their social media feeds rather than alert authorities. That can lead to confusion and inaccurate information.
The officials mentioned a threat made against schools in Calhoun County, Georgia. People in Calhoun County, West Virginia, saw it and started sharing it as a warning in their community, even though the threat had nothing to do with their community.
"It's causing chaos for our families and communities because instead of reporting a threat, people are just blasting them out," Porter said. "That's what happened with Calhoun County. The threats are shared and shared and shared, so they spread from Georgia to West Virginia."
There are multiple ways to alert authorities about possible threats, including the "See Something, Say Something" app. When residents see those possible threats, their initial move should be letting school officials and law enforcement know. That can help them investigate those threats more quickly and effectively. Fomenting unnecessary panic on social media helps no one.