Threat at Apex Friendship High School distracts from school day

Extra security guards were present and schedules were modified Tuesday at Apex Friendship High School after posts on social media threatened a shooting.

According to a spokesperson with Wake County Public Schools, all students were safe and the school day finished without incident.

A photo sent to WRAL News showed a threatening message on the bathroom wall at Apex Friendship High School warning students about a possible shooting on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m.

There was no lockdown or evacuation, but a viewer told WRAL News multiple Apex students already left school for the day as a result.

Although the threat was determined to be not credible, Apex Friendship parents and students didn't want to take any chances. Parents and students lined up outside the school Tuesday afternoon told WRAL News they felt it is better to be safe than sorry.

"My mom tried calling [the school] to see if I could leave class early, but all of the telephone lines were backed up," said Libby Shott, a student.

The hoax interrupted the school day as parents frantically tried to pick up their kids.

Shott said she would rather take the absence than risk something bad happening while she’s in class "especially because my class is on the fourth floor."

"If anything did happen, I'd much rather be safe than sorry," Shott added.

The school adjusted lunch schedules but did not evacuate the students or lockdown the school.

A statement from the school read: “While incidents like this are typically a hoax, we take them seriously… know that we will continue to take every measure to ensure the safety of our students including increased police and security presence.”

"I dropped everything trying to figure out what was going on," said Erin Joy, whose child attends a nearby school.

The threat to Apex Friendship spread on social media, causing worry for parents like Joy even though her son attends a different school.

"Our kids thought it was their school," Joy said. "The only way that happened was through social media and texting during class."

The district said no other schools received threats, but a "copycat" threat circulated among students across the school system.

"It's definitely really scary that [threats] are becoming more common," Shott said. "That's the only reason I'm leaving -- just in case, not that I actually think something would happen."

Shott said administrators monitored the hallways throughout the day on Tuesday.

The district is encouraging parents to talk to their kids about reporting threats. The person responsible for such threats could face criminal charges and suspension from school. 

Editor's note: In an earlier version of this story a Wake County Schools spokesperson mentioned a "copycat" threat at Holly Springs High School. WRAL News was later told there was no threat in Holly Springs.