PIKETON, Ohio — Pike County Career Technology Center said it continues to receive AI-generated threats targeting the school and has added a new building-wide camera system as it works with law enforcement to identify those responsible.
The people behind the threats often use multiple phone numbers and other methods to contact individuals, an attempt to spread fear and prompt reports of hoax threats, the CTC said in a statement posted to its Facebook page. School officials said they will continue following established safety protocols and working closely with law enforcement to protect students and staff.
The CTC has installed a Homeland Security 360-degree camera system that monitors individuals entering and leaving the building, according to the statement. The system is accessed daily by law enforcement and school personnel. School buildings remain locked and secured through the alarm system and other established security procedures, the CTC said.
The statement is the school’s latest update on a threat campaign that forced it to shut down briefly in early September. Pike CTC canceled classes for two days after a threat reported in late August named a specific student, Superintendent Eric Meredith said at the time. The building reopened on a two-hour delay Sept. 2 after law enforcement searched it and found no issues or threats. Meredith said the referenced student was not at the CTC and that additional information circulating about the threat was fabricated. He said the CTC was among several Ohio schools that had recently received similar threats and that law enforcement believed the threats originated from servers outside the United States.
The CTC asked anyone with information about the threats or the individuals responsible to contact the Pike County Sheriff’s Office.
The information contained in this story was obtained from Pike County Career Technology Center.
