From Cumberland County Director of Schools Rebecca Farley:

Dear Parents,
This is Rebecca Farley, Director of Schools.
I am reaching out to address a matter of critical importance: threats of mass violence on school property. The safety of our students and staff is our absolute priority, and we want to ensure every student understands the serious consequences of their words and actions.
In 2021, state law was enacted to address the growing problem of students making these threats. In 2024, it became even more serious, and was amended, increasing the offense to a felony.

We take these threats very seriously, whether a joke or not. It is crucial that you understand if your child makes a statement threatening mass violence and causes others to be placed in fear, they will be criminally charged with a felony and potentially taken into custody.
To address these situations, we have a multi-agency Threat Assessment Task Force that responds to and assists our schools with investigating reported threats. This task force includes Cumberland County Schools, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Crossville Police Department, 13th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, and the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security.

We need your help. Please have a serious conversation with your child about the gravity of making any type of threat. We ask that you ensure that they understand that this is never a joking matter and that the consequences are life-altering.

Thank you very much for partnering with us to keep our schools safe.