Lexington high school student to be disciplined after posting he had bomb in his backpack

A Henry Clay High School student will be disciplined after police investigated a social media post Thursday that included the boy holding a piece of paper saying, “I have a bomb in my backpack.”

The post included a joke about needing to “fix” his grades, principal Corye Franklin said in a Thursday letter to families at the Lexington school.

“This afternoon we became aware of a social media post circulating among some of our students,” Franklin said in the email.

School leaders, working alongside the Fayette County Public Schools Police Department, immediately launched an investigation and identified the student, Franklin said.

The student was searched and officers found no evidence of a credible threat against the school. Disciplinary processes will be followed, Franklin said.

“This type of activity or prank is not unusual on social media and in school communities across the nation,” said Franklin. “It is easy for rumors to spring up and quickly spin out of control. “

He said school officials take all reports of potential threats seriously. Anytime a student is aware of a safety concern they should report it to an adult or can report concerns anonymously through the school’s STOP Tipline,, said Franklin.

“At this moment, this is the extent of what we know,” Franklin said. “I’m sorry to share that our learning today was needlessly disrupted because of this prank.”

This story was originally published March 15, 2024 at 8:57 AM.