GOWANDA – Two students at Gowanda Central School are facing charges after allegedly making threats of violence towards the district.
The school’s superintendent Robert Anderson says late Thursday night photos of a Gowanda School bus with “imagery of weapons” were shared on TikTok prompting the district to close on Friday.
Following an investigation by the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office, the images were found to be altered via photoshop, and no weapon were ever present on the bus.
Two juveniles have been charged with making terrorist threats by the department. The schools says they plan to take additional disciplinary actions as well.
“Our number one priority has always and will always be the safety of our students and staff,” said Anderson in a statement. “I would like to thank School Resource Officer Ben Shields, Transportation Supervisor Annette Nelson, the Gowanda Police Department, the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Department and the Gowanda administrative team that literally worked around the clock since Thursday night to resolve this incident.”
Going forward, the Superintendent says there is no longer a threat to the school and there is no physical safety dangers to Gowanda students or staff.
In addition to Gowanda Central School, a student at Southwestern Central School is accused of making threats towards students and staff at that facility as well.
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