Sheriff's Office also probing cyberbullying allegations at Hilton Head school targeted by bomb threat
No connection between the cyberbullying allegations and the bomb threat that led to a lockdown of the school Dec. 3 has been established, but investigations into both matters are ongoing, Sheriff's Office spokesman Capt. Bob Bromage said.
However, an email sent out by school administration to parents alludes to a potential connection, saying that last week's incident "heightened the level of investigation by the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office."
Headmaster Daniel Wesche said some students had received written notes in their lockers, but there was no truth to a rumor that those notes had included bomb or shooting threats.
Wesche declined to comment on the harassment incidents, deferring to the Sheriff's Office and its ongoing investigation, but said no students had received notes in their lockers since the bomb threat.
The school said in the email sent to parents last week that they have "ensured the physical security of the campus," but could not completely eliminate the potential of another emailed threat.
Wesche said Friday the school has continued to communicate with parents about the steps taken since the bomb threat, such as the hiring of a private security firm to consult on both physical and digital security issues. He also said the school has hired a security officer and taken other proactive measures to augment the school's security in response to last week's incident and recent events around the country.
Bromage said he was not aware of any direct threats against students at the school, and that all of the alleged harassment being investigated has been electronic.
The bomb threat was the first of two at Beaufort County schools in a five-day span.
On Monday, a 17-year-old Bluffton High School student was charged with disrupting schools after he allegedly told a teacher the school was going to blow up; he later said he meant it as a joke.
Follow reporter Matt McNab at twitter.com/IPBG_Matt.
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This story was originally published December 11, 2015 at 11:17 AM with the headline "Sheriff's Office also probing cyberbullying allegations at Hilton Head school targeted by bomb threat."