On the heels of the Pickens County School Board reversing their decision to allow transgender students to use the restroom of their choosing, multiple students have been detained for separate incidents related to bullying and harassment.
According to the Pickens County Sheriff's Office, a 16-year-old male student was arrested Thursday morning after posting a picture of two guns pointed towards fellow classmates. Authorities determined the guns were not real, however, and were, in fact, a "filter."
The student, whose name has not been released, now faces one count of making terroristic threats.
On Wednesday, the Pickens County Sheriff's Office said in a social media post via their FaceBook page, this isn't the first incident of its kind to take place within the high school.
The post reads, "on Thursday, October 10th, we had a student make statements on social media. One statement made encouraged other students to lash out in violence against other students within the school. The second statement was generic but referred to individuals that signed a petition making good target practice. Within an hour of the post, deputies were with the student and parents at the student’s home. Following the investigation, the student was charged as a juvenile with Disorderly Conduct."
Additionally, graffiti was located within the high school's restrooms that illustrated threatening behavior(s).
The Picken's County Sheriff's Office went on to say that they will continue to investigate any and all cases of bullying/harassment.
"We will continue to investigate any additional cases as they arise and remain diligent in our efforts to protect all students within the Pickens County School System," the post said.
The Picken's County School District announced just a day earlier that they will “return to bathroom procedures in place at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year,” in an effort to settle the overwhelming amount of threats they've received.
Destini Shope, Director of Community Engagement and Public Relations said via a press release, "there have been many serious safety concerns raised in the past few days; school board members, staff and students have been threatened due to the administration's implementations of Adams vs. Dt. John's County School District. The District understands that it has the responsibility to protect its staff and students. However, the District has concerns that it may not be able to meet these demands."
The 16-year-old student remains in custody at a youth detention center awaiting his court appearance.
