Connie Phillips / Google Reviews
CV NEWS FEED // A suspect has been taken into custody after a private Catholic school in Virginia Beach received an emailed threat and closed for two days last week.
Local outlet WTKR reported that St. John the Apostle School received a threatening email that law enforcement officials later determined to have been sent by an individual unaffiliated with the school in any way. The threat has not been disclosed.
According to local outlet 13NewsNow, the threat was in response to a disciplinary decision regarding two 6th-grade boys, which was made after one of the boys told the principal that his classmate brought a bullet to school. Both students were suspended, one for bringing the bullet, the other for waiting too long to alert the principal.
After the school received the emailed threat, a decision was made to cancel classes on September 12. A subsequent decision canceled classes on September 13 as well.
According to WTKR, St. John the Apostle parish pastor Fr. Felix Amofa has taken measures to keep the school and church community safe.
“To ensure the continued safety of our parish, I have asked for increased security presence this weekend for all of our Masses, and this coming week for our school community as they return to class,” Amofa said in an email, WTKR reported.
13NewsNow reported that Interim Principal Jennifer Davey sent a notice to families of the school, explaining the situation and offering reassurance.
“Your children are at the forefront of our thinking, and we know that this threat only compounds a difficult few days for our students and families,” she wrote, according to 13NewsNow. “When we return, we will work to discuss with your children in an age-appropriate way, the power of threatening language and behaviors, as well as the ways in which we work to keep them safe, both physically and emotionally.”
