Dear LCPS Parents -
We apologize for the late hour of this message, but wanted to alert you that Loudoun County Public Schools staff were made aware of multiple rumored threats against different LCPS schools this evening. All information has been reported to our local law enforcement agencies and LCPS Safety & Security, which immediately began investigating. While these threats have thus far been determined to be non-credible, they are nonetheless serious, and we are addressing them as such. 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.
Over the last week, we've seen an increase in these incidents, which unfortunately often happens in the aftermath of school shootings. Some of you have called me and my staff to share your concerns about school safety and ask what more can be done. Please know that the safety precautions we have in place are working and we remain vigilant, with your child’s safety as our top priority. To be clear, we would never ask that you send your child to school if we felt it unsafe to do so.
What I need from parents right now is to talk to your children regarding the seriousness of making threats towards our schools or sharing threats that others have made online. To a student, the use of threatening language might not seem like a big deal, but we have to and will treat it with the utmost caution and seriousness to ensure the safety of all our students and staff. It is because of this that I’m asking you to please remind your children that they cannot make threats of any kind, even as a joke. When this happens, we work closely with law enforcement and our Office of Safety and Security immediately to investigate and notify families and staff. There are serious repercussions when any threat is made including disciplinary action at the school level along with possible criminal charges.
Additionally, there are serious consequences when spreading false rumors. We ask that you talk to your student about not circulating rumors on social media and remind them of “See Something, Say Something” and the Safe2Talk app. Please report inappropriate behavior or any safety concerns involving our school community to school administrators. This will allow the school and police to respond more efficiently to safety concerns.
I know there is fear and confusion for both parents and our students with everything happening in the world, and our children are struggling with their feelings and emotions. If your family or your student needs support services, please do not hesitate to reach out to the school.
We appreciate parents’ cooperation and support when situations like this arise, and pledge to take every possible precaution in safeguarding students. We are in this together, and together we can do anything.
Aaron Spence, Ed.D.
Superintendent