CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Several schools across Hampton Roads were threatened Monday morning, leading to evacuations.
Chesapeake
Students at Deep Creek High School in Chesapeake went home early after someone called in a bomb threat Monday morning.
Chris Vail, a spokesperson for Chesapeake Public Schools, said the threat came from an anonymous caller. The building was evacuated, and school officials reached out to the Fire Marshal and Chesapeake Police Department to investigate.
Nothing was found in or around that school.
A few minutes before 1 p.m., Chesapeake Fire Department spokesman Capt. Steve Bradley said Indian River High School, Oscar Smith High School and Western Branch High School had all been threatened, too.
He said investigators were out at each of the schools, and police officers were increasing patrols at all school campuses in the city.
"The safety of our students and staff remain our primary focus as investigators work to determine the identity of the caller," Bradley said. "A threat to bomb is a Class 5 Felony in Virginia."
A spokesman for the police department said none of the threats appear to be credible.
Norfolk
Granby High School was evacuated just after 11:30 a.m. Monday for a bomb threat.
Teams from the city's police and fire departments went out to investigate, and by 1:10 p.m., had given an all-clear.
The police department said nothing suspicious was found at Granby High School, and it was going back to normal.
Alijah Williams, a senior at Granby High, said he didn't realize it was a bomb threat when they started to evacuate.
"At first, we didn't take it serious, because stuff like this don't usually happen," he said.
Two teachers walked out of the school with the students as they evacuated. They said they've worked in education for years and have noticed over the past two to three years, the number of bomb threats has been increasingly common.
"It causes a lot of stress, it disrupts the learning environment, so it's sad that this is happening. It's almost becoming the norm. I'm not anxious or phased right now, because it's almost becoming the norm," said Amanda Keating who teaches French at the school.
"We followed the protocol, but over the past few years, these types of situations have just become more common," said Judyliz Diaz who teaches Spanish. "We just want the students to know we're here to help them in these situations."
Portsmouth
A spokesperson with Portsmouth City Schools confirmed right before 1:30 p.m. that both Churchland High School and Manor High School experienced similar threats.
Both schools were evacuated, and students had early dismissals. Throughout the afternoon, police will search the buildings.
Newport News, Hampton, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, WJCC
By 2:15 p.m., each of these cities had said there were no ongoing threats at any of their schools.
Investigators with the local fire departments say they don't want students to take this type of threat lightly. A captain with the Chesapeake Fire Department said this crime is considered a Class 5 Felony in Virginia.
This means if the person responsible is convicted of the crime, that person faces up to 10 years in prison. The suspect could also face a $2,500 fine in court.