HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — Hampton City Schools are dealing with false social media posts and other rumors that are impacting schools.
The rumors come as other schools locally and nationwide deal with similar threats of violence, some of which have been linked to students.
In a statement on Wednesday, Hampton City Schools said all of the rumors and threats have been deemed not credible.
“We want to start by sharing that there have been no shooting incidents at our schools or bus stops today, and no weapons have been found on school property. If this was ever the situation, the school division would communicate directly with families.”
They added: “We are aware of various rumors circulating, as well as social media posts and texts being shared among students and families. These messages include mentions of pulling fire alarms, potential school shootings, a weapon found at a school, and shootings at bus stops. None of these posts have been deemed credible. Please be assured that the school division is actively working with the Hampton Police Division (HPD). HPD is continuing its investigation, and at this time, there have been no shootings at any of our schools or at our school bus stops, no weapons have been found on school grounds, nor have the circulating posts been deemed credible. These social media posts or ones similar appear to be circulating in other school divisions near us as well as other parts of our country.”
They emphasized that sharing unverified information online and in group texts can lead to unnecessary fear and disruptions, and encouraged anyone with information to instead contact the school division directly at Safe School Hotline at 757-727-2255 (CALL).
“A safe learning environment is the number one priority of our school division, and Hampton City Schools has systems in place to not only address safety in each of our schools but to ultimately have a strong proactive approach to further strengthen safety and security. Our safety and security measures are located on our HCS website under our Security Department.”
Virginia Beach City Public Schools meanwhile says it’s also investigating after a student reported an “inappropriate post on social media that implied a threat to our city schools.”
They said they’re working with VBPD and at this time they don’t believe there’s a credible threat to school safety.
“I ask that you use this as a way to remind your children to think carefully about what they post online,” VBCPS said. “As a reminder, threats of any kind, even as a joke, are not acceptable and can lead to serious consequences including disciplinary action at the school level and even criminal charges.”
Last week, a 14-year-old girl in York County was charged with a felony after posting threats to “shoot up the school” on social media.
The issue though isn’t just local. Schools across the U.S. have seen an increase in shooting and bomb threats this year, Axios reported. An expert said there’s typically a “contagion effect” after high-profile shootings, like the Georgia high school shooting earlier this month.