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A middle school in North Carolina was evacuated Wednesday (May 4) morning after it received reports of a threat via social media.
Officials at Arndt Middle School in Hickory sent out a message to parents on Wednesday after they were made aware of a "threatening" statement posted online, per WSOC. In the alert, officials confirmed that students were evacuated from the school to the football field while law enforcement searched the school for any threats. The also searched the bags students left behind out of an abundance of caution.
"This morning, Arndt Middle School was made aware of a statement of a threatening nature made through social media, and our law enforcement partners were immediately notified," the message states. "All students and staff were evacuated to the SSHS football stadium and student bags were left behind to be searched, out of an abundance of caution."
According to the outlet, officials didn't find anything inside the school and students were eventually allowed back inside. Parents were also asked not to pick up their child from the school at the time the message went out, reassuring them that all students and staff were safe and calling their safety a top priority.
"Please know that we take any threat that we are made aware of seriously as the safety and well being of our students and staff is our utmost priority. We are working with our law enforcement partners to actively investigate, and we will continue to do so in order to provide a safe and secure learning environment for our students and staff."
As of 5:30 p.m., no other information regarding the reported threat has been released.