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Most Cumberland County students went to school like normal on Monday. However, there was an enhanced presence from sheriff’s deputies, as the Cumberland Sheriff’s Office worked with district officials and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to find out who had sent a school threat earlier that morning.
“A joint investigation with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI and consultation with the Commonwealth’s Attorney has led to the identification of the individual and social media account involved,” said Cumberland Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Chip Jones.
He added that the district staff is “ensuring appropriate consequences and accountability are pursued.” 

Now while yes, the person involved has been identified, It was a child under the age of 17. As a result, the name is not being released and very limited details about the case can be shared. Jones asked parents to monitor what their children post on different social media apps, as it could stop a situation like this from getting out of hand.  While classes still took place as normal on Monday, Jones said that any student who was kept home by parents or guardians after they learned about the threat would have that absence excused. 

He also thanked parents who are involved in their childrens’ lives and are more than willing to work with the district.
“Thank you for your vigilance and cooperation in helping us maintain a secure environment for all,” Jones said in a statement. “Working together, we can help keep our schools and  community as safe as possible.” 

Not the first school threat

Sadly, this isn’t the first time this semester the district has dealt with threats. One month ago, something a student saw on social media, a years old post, was mistaken to be recent and claims of alleged threats spread like wildfire, not just in Cumberland but across Virginia and the East Coast as a whole. Nearby at Longwood University, just a few weeks ago part of campus had to be evacuated due to a threat coming in on social media. And now this week’s situation marks the latest incident. Each time this happens, officials in each school district affected are irritated because at least a portion of the class stays home and as a result, they fall behind in the classwork. 

During that September threat mentioned above, the one that affected districts in multiple states, teachers with Prince Edward Public Schools contacted The Herald, informing that for some classes, there were less than 10 students showing up. The rest stayed home or were told by parents to stay home that day, due to the threat. But as for how to solve the problem and prevent this from popping up several times a semester? The Herald has talked with multiple law enforcement officials and several of them said the work has to start at home, addressing issues before something like this becomes a class problem or a districtwide problem.