Albemarle County Public Schools (ACPS)—along with several other school divisions—again was the target of a violent social media threat.
Although this specific incident was investigated by law enforcement and dismissed as “not credible,” ACPS remains on heightened alert.
Due to continuing hesitancy by the Albemarle County School Board, there remains a dangerous deficit of in-school resource officers, and thus, ongoing susceptibility of students, faculty, and staff at all ACPS locations to suggested violent scenarios.
Read the full statement issued by Albemarle County Public Schools:
Last night and today, we learned of several threats of violence made on social media and directed toward our and many other schools and school divisions. As is always our practice, we immediately began collaboration with our administrative staff and partners at the Albemarle County Police Department (ACPD) to determine the credibility of these threats. They determined that the threats were not credible and that it was safe for schools to go on with their daily operations as usual.
Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our students and employees, so we take all threats seriously. As such, we are taking the following actions as we move forward:
- We will continue working closely with local law enforcement, who are investigating the origins and credibility of these posts.
- Out of an abundance of caution, we have requested heightened staff vigilance as appropriate so you may see this presence in and around our schools.
- We are actively monitoring social media channels and collaborating with other school divisions in the area to share information.
- ACPD and our crisis response teams are prepared to act swiftly if any further concerns arise.
Additionally, students are reminded that making threats, regardless of credibility, is unacceptable and in violation of the Student Code of Conduct and will result in disciplinary action by the school as well as a referral to law enforcement. Again, we take all threats seriously at our school division.
We also remind students not to reshare these threats when they see them, as that only furthers the spread of problematic information. Instead, please report any suspicious activity or online threats immediately to a trusted adult, school official, or through the HELPme app.
Families: If you or your child have any information that could assist with this investigation, please contact our administration, the Office of Safety and Security or local authorities.
We appreciate the effort of those who brought this to our attention and ask all members of our community to report any threats they may see or hear, whether they believe they are credible or not. We are also very grateful to the ACPD for their speedy and diligent work on this. Thank you for working together to make our schools safe. If you have any questions, please feel free to call the Central Office at 434-296-5820.
Sincerely,
Ralph T. Bradley
Director of School Safety & Security
Director of School Safety & Security
