NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. — A 14-year-old boy is facing felony charges after deputies said he made threats to a metro Atlanta school this week.
The Newton County Sheriff’s Office posted that the teen was taken into custody Thursday and charged with one count of disrupting public school and one count of terroristic threats and acts. Both charges are felonies.
[RELATED: Schools step up security in response to threats on TikTok]
The teen is accused of making terroristic threats against students and staff at Eastside High School on Dec. 14.
“Sheriff Ezell Brown and the Newton County Sheriff’s Office take every terroristic threat made against students and staff of the Newton County School System very seriously. Unfortunately, this is today’s world, and the Sheriff’s Office will make every effort to ensure the safety of all students and staff,” the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook.
Brown urged parents to speak to their children about the dangers of making the same type of threats before a situation arises.
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The arrests come at the same time that Polk County School District decided to close all schools “out of an abundance of caution” due to widespread threats.
Other school districts in Georgia are taking extra precautions after a social media trend going around on TikTok dubbed Friday “American School Shooting Day.”
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In a letter sent to Atlanta Public School parents and employees, officials say they do not believe the threats are credible, but are taking them seriously.
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