RAYLAND — The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a threat made Monday against the Buckeye Local Junior and Senior High School, as well as the district’s elementary schools.

“We received information about a threat that was made to the Buckeye Local School District on a social media platform ‘Snapchat,'” Sheriff Fred Abdalla Jr. said. “We are currently trying to identify the threat. We feel it was made to induce panic. However, we are treating it with the utmost seriousness. We’re going to have a heightened presence in the Buckeye Local School District and continue to investigate this until we find out who is behind it.”

The threat in question read: “Nobody knows me but we’re shooting up the Buckeye Local. We aren’t lying this time and we’re gonna hurt everyone. We have main targets on the 6th, 7th, 8th grade. We’re going to the elementary next. This is not a drill. We’re coming some day this week.”

Buckeye Local School District Superintendent Coy Sudvary said he’s grateful that “everyone left school safely” at the end of the day.

The school district was first notified of the threat around 10:30 a.m., when a student reported it to the office, Sudvary said.

The junior and senior high school was subsequently placed on “soft lockdown,” prohibiting entry and departures, as well as limiting movement within. The district was “cautious” at its three elementary schools, Sudvary said, and some parents were allowed to pick up their children.

In addition to the “prompt and professional” response from the sheriff’s department, Sudvary said, other local law enforcement offered support.

Sudvary thanked the sheriff’s department for its “outstanding response” and noted that investigations into the incident are ongoing, with officers conducting interviews with students and online forensic analysis throughout the day.

The schools will be in session today with “heightened security,” Sudvary said, adding that the schools will be on “high alert” until an arrest is made in connection with the threat.

Sudvary said safety is the schools’ top priority, and each building has a resource officer who is in communication with staff and parents.

“We will take as many precautions as we need to to make sure that our students have a safe school environment,” Sudvary said. “Parents, if they feel comfortable, can send their child. If not, we certainly understand that as well.”

After-school activities were canceled Monday at the junior and senior high school. Sudvary said activities are planned to resume today, “barring any new information.”

“We evaluate every circumstance and situation, as far as our procedures and policies go,” Sudvary said. “We’ll definitely do the same here. We’ll take a look at how we responded and how we can get better and be more proactive as needed. … I can’t say enough that parents and guardians of children need to manage and monitor the social media accounts of their kids.”

Linda Harris contributed to this report.