All students and staff are safe after Roanoke police responded to William Fleming High School for a threat called in to a local dispatch center Friday morning.
According to school officials, the incident turned out to be a “swatting” call. Swatting refers to someone making a false report to law enforcement in hopes of prompting a large emergency response.
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Police said nothing suspicious was found at the school. Still, out of an abundance of caution, you can expect to see more law enforcement officers in the area throughout the day.
At the time of the incident, several schools, including William Fleming High School, were placed on a hold and secure as a precaution. The hold and secure has now been lifted, and everyone is safe.
RCPS Familes:
This morning, our school division was the victim of a swatting incident, which means that an unknown caller called the police to make a threat as a hoax. RCPS administrators, the Roanoke Police Department, and the Roanoke Sheriff’s Office immediately investigated, and their preliminary investigation determined that there was no threat.
While the initial concern was directed toward William Fleming High School, during this time, several of our schools were placed on a hold and secure as a precaution. This means that students remained inside the building while the School Resource Officer and Administrators monitored doors to ensure the school remained secure. The hold and secure has now been lifted, and all students and staff members remain safe.
Again, this incident was quickly investigated and preliminarily determined to be a hoax. We know the natural instinct as a parent or guardian during an emergency is to come to school to protect your child. However, we want to remind you to please do not come to your child’s school to allow the police time to investigate and not take resources away from the investigation.
Roanoke City Public Schools does not tolerate threats or acts of violence. Actual threats or jokes about threats — by students or adults — will not be tolerated and will result in disciplinary and/or legal actions. We appreciate our law enforcement partners, teachers, and administrators for keeping our students safe and protecting our campus this morning.
Thank you for your support of Roanoke City Public Schools
Roanoke City Public Schools