Schools
Social Media Threat To South Orange, Maplewood School District: UPDATE
The social media threat in South Orange and Maplewood is the fourth such incident reported in Essex County in the span of a week.
SOUTH ORANGE-MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Another school district in Essex County saw a social media-borne “threat” over the weekend, adding to a recent spike that has taken place in the county.
Jason Bing, superintendent of the South Orange and Maplewood Public School District, released the following statement about the incident:
“We are writing to inform you about a concerning situation involving a social media threat directed at Columbia High School. This weekend, we were informed of social media posts circulating online that threaten our school community's safety. Please know that we take any threats seriously and have immediately contacted the Maplewood and South Orange police departments, which are actively investigating the credibility of the threat. We are working closely with the Maplewood and South Orange police departments to ensure every precaution is taken to keep students and staff safe. We will continue to keep you updated as the investigation progresses, and we appreciate your cooperation and support during this time.”
Bing said that public schools in South Orange and Maplewood will start at their regular times on Monday. Columbia High School administrators will continue to partner with counselors, social workers and the local police departments to support the school community.
Find out what's happening in Maplewoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“As always, if you ever have any concerns about school or community safety and security, please feel free to contact a building administrator and/or utilize our online reporting tool,” Bing suggested.
The social media threat in South Orange and Maplewood is the fourth such incident reported in Essex County in the span of a week. Other incidents took place in Belleville, East Orange and Newark.
Find out what's happening in Maplewoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
- See Related: Social Media ‘Threat’ To Belleville School Not Credible: Authorities
- See Related: Social Media Post Raises Red Flags In East Orange; No Threat To School
- See Related: Teens Arrested After School Social Media Threat In Newark
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