MITCHELL COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) — A student at Baconton Community Charter School reportedly made a verbal shooting threat Wednesday, Feb. 25, prompting school officials to remove the student from campus and launch an investigation alongside the Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office.

According to Middle School Principal LaJuana Smith and Superintendent Missy Harrod, two students reported the threat to an administrator the end of the school day on Wednesday. School officials said they immediately located the student who reportedly made the threat, removed them from campus and contacted the student’s parent Wednesday.

The school’s Student Resource Officer (SRO) was involved when administrators were notified. Sheriff’s deputies were also present Thursday morning as the investigation continued, officials said.

Parents received notification through the school’s Infinite Campus email system Thursday morning, a timeline that drew criticism from some families who said they were unaware of the situation when they dropped their children off that day.

“We understand their concern,” Harrod said. “The school has a duty to investigate whether the threat was real. And we want all our parents to know that even when we are in the process of investigating, if the threat is real, we remove the purported threat.”

Smith confirmed that the student has not returned to campus since Wednesday. The student faces suspension pending a discipline tribunal, administrators said. If found in violation of the code of conduct, the student would not be allowed to return to school. Additional legal charges through the sheriff’s department are also possible, according to administrators.

The student’s identity has not been released.

“There is no credible threat at this time,” Smith said. “This campus is safe and secure.”

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook and X (Twitter). For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Copyright 2026 WALB. All rights reserved.