FBI investigating social-media threat to unspecified Atlanta school

Atlanta Public Schools notified parents Monday of a threat posted to social media regarding an unspecified Atlanta school.

Atlanta Public Schools notified parents Monday of a threat posted to social media regarding an unspecified Atlanta school.

Atlanta Public Schools alerted parents Monday to a “non-specific social media threat” made against a school in Atlanta.

The district sent text alerts to parents just after 11 a.m. Monday.

District spokesman Ian Smith said that the Atlanta Police Department Homeland Security notified the district that the FBI is investigating a “non-specific” threat posted on social media. Smith said the threat did not mention a specific school.

Kevin Rowson, a spokesman for the FBI in Atlanta, said the agency is aware of the situation and looking into a “very nonspecific threat.”

“We look into tips like that on a regular basis,” he said.

In an APS statement, Smith said: “Although this threat is not specific to APS, we take it very seriously and have placed our schools on high alert. The APS Police Department is working in coordination with APD and the FBI on the investigation. Our schools will observe normal operations today, and the safety and security of our students and staff remains our top priority.”

APS has notified its schools and officers and staff are to take extra precautions, including carefully monitoring who is in and around school buildings, Smith said.

“We just did our due diligence and put all of our schools on high alert,” he said.