Columbus principal to parents: ‘Threat has not been deemed credible or imminent.’

A threat at a Columbus school prompted security officials to investigate and the principal to tell parents there isn’t a valid reason to keep their children home from school Friday.

According to Northside High School principal Marty Richburg, the threat came from graffiti written in a Northside girls restroom with this alarming message: “Don’t go to school September 28th! I’m warning you.”

In his notification Wednesday afternoon to Northside parents, Richburg said, “At this time, it has not been deemed credible or imminent. However, security is involved and will continue to monitor the situation. Should the circumstances change, we will notify you immediately.”

Asked for an update, Muscogee County School District communications director Mercedes Parham told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email Thursday afternoon, “Security is currently monitoring the situation in coordination with law enforcement.”

This scare came the week after a Northside student was accused of pulling a fake gun on another student. He was ordered held without bond after a Columbus police officer testified that the weapon was a pellet gun and the charged teen is affiliated with a subset of the Crips gang.

It also came the same week a ninth-grade boy at Spencer High School was found in possession of a real gun on campus.

“He will face immediate disciplinary action, pending a tribunal hearing,” Parham said in a news release Tuesday. “This incident remains under investigation with the Columbus Police Department; charges are pending.”

No update on that case has been available.

“That resides with the Columbus Police Department,” Parham told the L-E.

MCSD is starting to implement the Muscogee County School Board’s directive, in a 7-2 vote during its May meeting, to upgrade superintendent David Lewis’ recommendation that establishes an MCSD police agency.

Lewis had recommended adding one full-time armed officer at each high school. The board’s majority expanded that service to the middle schools. MCSD’s security staffing, using officers from local law enforcement agencies on a part-time basis, has been 17 officers covering 57 school buildings.

“That implementation of the district’s police force is in progress and will move forward once we identify a recommendation for the chief of police,” Parham told the L-E.

Mark Rice, 706-576-6272, @MarkRiceLE.

This story was originally published September 27, 2018 at 12:44 PM.