Threatening graffiti creates WCMS panic-Hundreds of students miss school

The fear of violence at Warren County Middle School prompted one-third of its students to stay home or leave early Friday in fear of what was to be a rumored shooting at the school.

‘We had 205 students who were absent and another 100 who checked out,’ said Warren County Director of Schools Dr. Jerry Hale. ‘When you consider the school averages a 5 percent absentee rate, that’s quite a large number of students who missed classes.’

At the root of the panic was writing reportedly found on a boys bathroom wall which said something to the effect everyone was going to die April 18, which was Friday. The exact wording of the message has not been revealed. An investigation is continuing with the perpetrator likely to face not only school suspension, but also criminal charges for the message.

After word spread about the bathroom wall message, which was found late Thursday, students began conveying the news by cellphone text messages. Like most word-of-mouth messages, what was written on the wall changed slightly as it was relayed from phone to phone.

‘It took on a life of its own,’ said McMinnville Police Major Bryan Denton. ‘There was really nothing to suggest there was anything valid about it, but at the same time we have to take anything like this seriously. As far as where this all started, there will be repercussions if we do trace this back to someone.’

Extra patrols were made at WCMS Friday as the school went under lockdown because of the widespread panic.

The incident is similar to widespread text messages that threatened violence at Warren County High School last April.

Last April’s threat caused 635 of the high school’s 1,685 students to miss school, and another 433 checked out early. It accounted for an absence rate of 63 percent by the end of the day. The person or persons responsible for starting that text message threat were never caught.

Friday’s panic came two days after the first anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre where a gunman killed 32 people and wounded many more before committing suicide, making it not just the deadliest school shooting, but the deadliest shooting rampage by a single gunman in U.S. history.

However, officials say Friday’s local threat had no elements to indicate it was credible.

‘There was not a thing to it,’ said Sheriff Jackie Matheny of Friday’s drama. ‘It was a bunch of text messaging that got out of hand.’