School threat investigated at Loudoun County School District was not credible

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Loudoun County School District said "rumors of a threat" against a school had started to spread on social media Tuesday night, September 10. The school was not specified. The LCPS Office of Safety and Security and the Leesburg Police Department's investigation found the threat was not credible.

Leesburg Police clarified in a statement that the rumors appear to be from outside of Virginia and date back to over a year ago.

Appeal from District Superintendent

Superintendent Aaron Spence asked families to talk with their children about the seriousness of making threats against schools or circulating those threats. Spence acknowledged that these types of threats may increase after school shootings and that threats may result in discipline from the school and potential criminal charges.

Spence shared:

"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."

LCPS asked families to encourage their children to report suspicious activity to police, a trusted adult or through the Safe2Talk app and not spread rumors through social media. Students needing support resources can contact SMHSleadershipteam@lcps.org and provide a phone number to contact or reach out to the school.