VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WVEC) -- A pre-teen from Virginia Beach is the latest juvenile to be charged after a threat was made against a school, police confirmed.
Authorities were alerted to a social media post on Monday night that contained threats against Great Neck Middle School.
Following an investigation, a male student who went to Great Neck Middle was arrested and charged with threatening bodily harm via electronic communication. He was taken to the Juvenile Detention Center.
On Tuesday, Great Neck Principal Gene Soltner sent the following message to parents:
"Good morning, parents. This is Dr. Soltner, principal of Great Neck Middle School. Overnight, we were made aware of a post on social media referencing violence against our school. The student who made the post was immediately identified and was taken into police custody. In addition, appropriate disciplinary action will be taken here at school. Please remind your child that there are serious consequences for anyone who makes a threat - even as a joke. Additionally, I ask that you take a moment to reinforce with your children that we all have a role in keeping our school safe. If they hear or see something that is cause for concern, they should report it to police or adult here are school. Thank you for your help and for your continued support of Great Neck Middle School. I look forward to seeing all of our students in class today."
Dozens of threats have been made at different schools in Hampton Roads, following the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida earlier this month. Multiple students have been arrested, and police have increased security at many schools.
Several school divisions joined together to issue a statement addressing the threats and arrests.
