NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A threatening message directed at Woodside High School in Newport News was found Tuesday, school officials said.
According to a spokesperson for Newport News Public Schools, police and school security officials haven't determined if the threat was credible, but the school will have additional precautions.
In addition to weapons detection systems already in place, school security performed random safety searches throughout the building Tuesday, something that will continue Wednesday.
The Newport News Police Department said it is investigating the threats and the school will have an additional police presence.
In a message sent to students' families, Principal Dr. Mary Hardesty said the school takes "the safety of our students and staff very seriously and we will continue to be cautious."
Meanwhile, some parents are on edge following the threatening message.
“What is it in the psyche of our children that’s telling them this behavior is okay, bringing violence to school is okay,” said Newport News parent Monica Leftwich.
Leftwich has two daughters at Woodside High School. She said she received alerts from Woodside High School administrators Tuesday afternoon about a potential threat. Though, she didn’t know what the message was until she came across a post online.
“The way I understand it, a kid at the school took the screenshots of the messages on the bathroom stalls," she said. "Or at least it looked like the bathroom stalls and that’s when it kind of started spreading like wildfire.”
Leftwich said this threat is part of a larger problem within the school division.
“Here we are again," she said. "The high school shooting, the Richneck shooting with the elementary school kid, and now we have this stuff going on at Woodside.”
In February, a student brought a gun to Woodside initiating a school lockdown. Leftwich wants to know when these scares will end.
“What kind of iron fist approach is the administration going to take that this is no longer an issue?” Leftwich said.
She said she let her children stay home from school Wednesday. She said they won't return for the rest of the week until administrators resolve the issue.