Lexington County school targeted in new threat, prompting evacuation, officials say

A high school in Lexington County was evacuated Tuesday after it was named in the most recent threat targeting a Midlands school.

A threat against Airport High School was made in an email late Tuesday morning, Lexington 2 spokeswoman Dawn Kujawa said in a news release. The school is on Boston Avenue in West Columbia, about 2 miles from Columbia Metropolitan Airport.

Law enforcement was contacted immediately and was soon on the school’s campus investigating the threat, according to the release.

Information about the threat was not available.

Students and staff are safe, but used fire drill procedures to evacuate the building at the request of law enforcement, according to the release.

“No one is allowed on or off campus except for law enforcement and district/school administrators while the drill is in process,” Kujawa said.

There was no word how long the evacuation could last, and if students would return to the building or be sent home early.

This continues a trend of Midlands schools being threatened.

Last week, several schools in Lexington and Richland counties were either evacuated or placed under a safety protocol as they were targeted by threats, officials said.

Airport High School was one of the schools that was named in a threat last Thursday. During that incident, the school was placed on a hold, with students and teachers remaining in place in their rooms for instruction and activities, before a staggered early dismissal of students in the afternoon.

The sheriff’s departments in both counties, as well as the Lexington Police Department, said no credible evidence of the threats was found after the law enforcement agencies searched the schools.

A student from Spring Valley High School was arrested last Thursday in connection with threats targeting Midlands schools, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

The 15-year-old was charged with threatening to use a “destructive device,” conveying false information about using a destructive device, student threats and disturbing schools, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said. The Richland County Sheriff’s Department deemed all of the threats to be hoaxes done to disrupt schools.

On Monday, the teen was charged with similar crimes in Lexington County in connection with the Feb. 2 threats made to River Bluff High School and the Lexington Technology Center, the sheriff’s department said.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.