Hold lifted at Laurens 55 High following student prank, district says

LAURENS, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Laurens County School District 55 said the high school was placed on a schoolwide hold due to comments circulating throughout the school Thursday morning.

The district said the school was placed on hold at 11:30 a.m. and law enforcement were called to respond.

Superintendent Dr. Ameca Thomas said after a thorough search and investigation by law enforcement and district officials, it was determined that there was no credible threat in the school. The hold was lifted around 12:30 p.m.

Officials said they learned the threat was initiated by a student with the intent of being a prank. The district is handling this situation in accordance with the District Code of Conduct to discipline the student and that any action taken by law enforcement is separate from the school district.

“Student and staff safety is our top priority in District 55,” said Dr. Thomas. “I ask that parents and this community join with the school district in stressing to students and others that we will not tolerate any form of violence, threats, intimidation, or disruption to the learning environments in our district. We take threats of any kind very seriously and although some may find it amusing to try to disrupt the learning environment and upset others in the building, law enforcement and district officials will not tolerate these disruptions.”

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