By Heather Michon, correspondent, and Christina Dimeo, editor
Fluvanna County High School was placed on lockdown late Thursday morning (Nov. 15) after receiving a threat against the school.
The threat was resolved later that morning. No one was hurt.
A high school student allegedly overheard another high school student state that he or she was going to shoot, commit violence or kill someone, according to a press release from Capt. David Wells of the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office.
With schools on a two-hour delay due to inclement weather, students still on buses at the start of the lockdown were diverted to the middle school. The high school implemented a code blue lockdown.
According to the school handbook, code blue requires students go to the nearest classroom and the classroom doors should be locked. It is generally called in response to reports of an intruder in the building.
Melanie Cheripka said on a Facebook forum that her daughter texted that students were safe. “They locked all the kids that were there in the auditorium and are guarding the doors,” she added.
Reports of the threat came from two sources, so officials initially didn’t know whether there was one threat or two. Deputies secured the schools, determined there was one threat, and located the student who allegedly made the threat, according to the release.
“The student was secured and taken to the sheriff’s office to be interviewed,” the release stated. “The student did not possess any firearms or weapons when located… At no point…did the student who allegedly made the threat possess any firearms or other weapons on school property.”
The schools released a message at 10:52 a.m. stating that the person who made the threat had been located and was being questioned by police. They said that schools were returning to a normal operating schedule.
A heavy police presence at the high school was planned for the remainder of the day.
“The nature of the alleged threats is still under investigation,” the release stated. “The Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office takes all possible threats of school violence very seriously and takes all threats as credible until they are able to determine otherwise.”
