On the evening of Tuesday, September 10th, rumors of a threat against an unknown high school in Loudoun County began circulating on social media. After a quick investigation by the LCPS Office of Safety and Security and the Leesburg Police Department, the rumor was declared not credible. The next morning, on Wednesday, September 11th, Loudoun County Public Schools sent a community message through email to all Loudoun parents.
“We want to reiterate that there are/were no specific threats against any school,” LCPS wrote in the email. “Students should also be reminded to not perpetuate rumors or jokes through social media or gossip.”
Later that day, additional rumored threats were made against different LCPS schools in the evening. Once the district was informed, all information was reported to local law enforcement and another quick investigation took place, finding the rumors not credible again. As this was the second report of threats against a Loudoun high school within 24 hours, the superintendent of LCPS sent out another message Wednesday night.
“Over the last week, we’ve seen an increase in these incidents, which unfortunately often happens in the aftermath of school shootings,” LCPS superintendent Aaron Spence said, referring to a school shooting at a Georgia high school that occurred the week before. “We will continue with our regularly-scheduled school day tomorrow; however, your student may notice extra police and/or security on campus out of an abundance of caution.”
LCPS and Spence have stressed the importance of making sure that students understand that making threats online, even as a joke, should be taken as a serious matter. He also emphasizes the severity of spreading false rumors online, as doing so can result in disciplinary action and criminal charges. In addition, Spence urges parents to have honest conversations with their children about acceptable behavior regarding rumors on social media.
