Police investigating school threats

FCPD increases the police presence at local school schools following mass shootings. [WAMU]

Since the Parkland, Fla.,  school shooting, which resulted in the deaths of 17 students and teachers Feb. 14, Fairfax County Police Chief Chief Edwin Roessler Jr. reported police officers have investigated 24 threats or complaints related to local schools.

That includes emails and phone calls from parents and community members expressing concerns about particular individuals who have made comments or sent disturbing messages via social media.

One of those cases resulted in probable cause to obtain felony petitions, Roessler said. Two teens, ages 14 and 15, from the Alexandria area of Fairfax County are facing charges after an investigation revealed they were behind a social media threat regarding a possible shooting at Walt Whitman Middle School.

They each have been charged with one count of threats to commit serious bodily harm to persons on school property. Officers learned of the threat on Feb. 17 after a walk-in report at the Mount Vernon Police Station.

The suspects turned themselves in and were sent home with their parents after a detention hearing. They are under electronic monitoring. Detectives say the boys were trying to impress a girl and did not actually have the means to carry out this threat.

“We encourage parents to talk to their children about school shootings and the seriousness of these threats,” Roessler says. “In some recent investigations, it was determined that students were ‘just joking around.’ It is important that everyone understands there is nothing funny about any reference to violence in or around our schools, ‘joke’ or not. Such statements will not be tolerated and will be considered threats.”

Between August and December 2017, FCPD investigated 28 separate incidents of threats against county schools, Roessler says. Those investigations resulted in five students being charged with a total of eight criminal offenses. Two additional cases resulted in temporary detention orders, meaning the students were detained for mental health treatment. In other cases, parents voluntarily sought mental health evaluations for their child.

In the wake of the Parkland tragedy, Fairfax County Public Schools reported on its efforts to ensure the safety of students and employees. The school system has a comprehensive crisis management plan, coordinates emergency planning activities with the police and fire departments, and trains employees in crisis management and communications. Schools have crisis plans, lockdown drills, a threat assessment process, and visitor control systems. Secondary schools have school resource officers.

School principals, including many in the Annandale/Mason area, have reached out to parents to address school safety issues.

Ravensworth Elementary School, for example, has a new Visitor Management System to track volunteers, parents, and other visitors. It records time in and out, confirms identity, prints photo ID badges, and automatically searches criminal databases upon check in.

In another example, an email from Belvedere Elementary School Principal School Cecilia Vanderhye states, “We want you to know that we care deeply about your children and that we strive to make school a safe and welcoming environment each day.”

Belvedere implements Responsive Classroom principles, “which include morning meetings to build community, logical consequences for actions, and developing classroom talk that is supportive and respectful,” Vanderhye says. The school also keeps doors locked throughout the day and conducts regular safety drills.

“We keep close tabs on all students’ academic and socioemotional needs. When situations arise, we work with all pertinent staff and parents to ensure students are supported and find success,” she says.

In an email to parents, Glasgow Middle School Principal Shawn DeRose says:  “The faculty is working with students who feel strongly about the issue of school safety and plans discussions with student leaders to identify ways to support their efforts to express their opinions and align them with national events that are planned in the coming weeks. In addition, we are planning a Panther Time lesson as an opportunity to teach all students about the history of protests and ways to be an active, responsible citizen.”

“At Glasgow, we respect the rights of our students to engage in peaceful protest and express their opinions through speech and other ways as long as it is done respectfully, does not interfere with the rights of others, and does not disrupt learning in the school,” DeRose states. “Our school is committed to providing an environment where everyone is treated with respect and encouraged to help others.”