SUFFOLK, Va. — For the second day in a row, students stood outside Lakeland High School after a bomb threat was made against it. The threats come after a series of fights broke out in the school's cafeteria last week.
Tim Kelly, a spokesman for the City of Suffolk, said emergency dispatchers received a call about the threat around 9:20 a.m. on Tuesday. As a result of the bomb threat, school administrators and staff members evacuated the building.
By 11:30 a.m., students were let back into the high school. The Suffolk Fire Marshal's office is still investigating the source of the bomb threat.
"You never know when there’s going to be an actual bomb in the school or not," said sophomore Noah Johnson.
Johnson said he had to leave math class early because of a bomb threat on Tuesday. “I just want to know why. I see no reason as to why you should want to do something that horrible to the school."
Students were eventually let back in and they were able to finish the school day.
Police officers and members of Suffolk Fire & Rescue were at the school on Kenyon Road after an administrator called emergency dispatchers to report a threat against the school around 10:55 a.m.
After an evacuation and investigation, members of the Suffolk Fire Marshal's Office found no threat after their search of the school and gave an all-clear.
The Suffolk Fire Marshal's Office said a boy who attends Lakeland faces a charge as a result of the threat that the school received Monday.
“We have no reason to believe that any of the threats are related in any way," said Suffolk Fire Marshal Christopher Cornwell.
A Suffolk Public Schools spokeswoman said the safety of students and staff members is a top priority. She also said school leaders are working hard to maintain open communication about incidents inside the school.
The following statement was released from Lakeland High School Principal Douglas Wagoner on Tuesday afternoon:
"I understand your concern around the threats that have taken place on our school campus as of late. Please know that as stated in previous letters, the safety of each student and staff member here is our top priority. Trust that we are continuing to work diligently to maintain open communication with our students, parents, staff, and community.
This morning, our administrative team received information that there was an active bomb threat on campus. The building was placed on a code orange*, and students and staff were evacuated. The administrative team contacted both Suffolk Police and Suffolk Fire & Rescue. After a thorough investigation, nothing was found. The Fire Department cleared the building, and students and staff were allowed to re-enter. The phone call containing the threat message remains under investigation.
Please continue to discuss with your child the importance of telling a teacher, administrator, or staff member when they know of a situation that could threaten student safety. Thank you for your continued support to keep Lakeland High School safe."
Fire Marshal Cornwell has a strong message for people: he said making a threat like this can change anyone's life forever and especially teenagers.
“In the Virginia code, the cut-off is actually 15 years of age as to whether or not it’s actually going to be a misdemeanor or felony. If you’re 15 years of age and older, it’s actually tried as a felony," said Cornwell.
Cornwell said investigators are still looking into who made Tuesday's threat.
Both threats come a few days after a number of fights in the cafeteria brought police to the school on the morning of March 17.
No one was hurt in the fighting, but a spokeswoman for Suffolk Public Schools said it did force the high school to be on lockdown for about 1.5 hours.