Friday March 29th, 2024 5:20AM

Threat found on GHS bathroom wall thought to be a prank

GAINESVILLE - Gainesville school officials and the Gainesville Police Department are investigating a threat found on a bathroom wall at Gainesville High School late Tuesday afternoon, but authorities are saying they believe the threat to be nothing more than a prank.

Gainesville Schools Superintendent Dr. Merrianne Dyer said students discovered the threat late in the school day.

"It was written in a marker-type crayon in a boy's restroom."

She said the threat indicated the school would not be there after Thursday and included a mention of explosives and weapons.

Dyer said the school worked with the police department and other safety resources in an effort to determine how much of a threat, if any, the message represented.

She explained via email Tuesday night that Gainesville Police Chief Brian Kelly had told school officials that investigators deemed the message to be a ploy with the intent of disrupting school activities.

While this development came as a relief, Dyer said it was her understanding that police had already searched the building and were planning for additional security.

She added that police would be conducting another search of the campus before school begins on Wednesday morning, and that students will have their backpacks searched before they enter the building.

Dyer said she expects officials to review security footage from nearby surveillance cameras, with the hope that the offending student can be discovered.

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