By Associated Press - Thursday, April 12, 2018

SYLVA, N.C. (AP) - The superintendent of a North Carolina school system says she will not dismiss students from classes after receiving nine bomb threats in less than a month.

WLOS-TV in Asheville reports Jackson County Schools Superintendent Kim Elliott posted a message on the system’s website Wednesday saying students will be held accountable for their actions.

The first of the nine threats was received on March 15.

The threats affected five of the system’s nine schools, each of which evacuated students. At Smoky Mountain High School, the school’s 1,100 students were evacuated on April 5 after a student found a bomb threat on a note.

According to Elliott, two students have received sentences for their actions and nine others are going to court soon. She said in her message that she will keep students safe but will not dismiss classes. She also said students are tired of the pranks.

“The students are ready to get back to teaching and learning,” Elliott said Thursday. “They’re ready to get into their routine, and when we have to evacuate, even for 40 minutes, it disrupts the students’ schedule.”

Elliott said parent volunteers have stepped up to monitor school hallways, and the school system has received $400,000 from county commissioners to install 150 additional cameras in the nine schools.

The Jackson County district attorney’s office declined to comment on the cases Thursday.

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Information from: WLOS-TV, http://www.wlos.com/

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