By Bridget Manley, publisher
Parents of city school students were already on edge about safety issues and threats of violence before Monday’s closure of the high schools. Police investigated several threats the previous week.
On Monday evening, the Harrisonburg Police Department arrested a 16-year-old Harrisonburg High School student on charges of making threats of death or bodily injury on school property. The threats, made online, led to the closure of both city high schools on Monday.
This comes after Harrisonburg City Public Schools communicated with parents of middle school students at Thomas Harrison Middle School and Skyline Middle School on Friday, alerting them to a “non-credible threat” made on social media and identified the person police believed responsible.
Later that day, parents were informed of a “code orange” briefly implemented at Skyline Middle School and Smithland Elementary School. However, the threat was deemed non-credible before the “Code Orange” message was sent, and the schools returned to “code green.”
HCPS uses a color-coded alert system for parents following a 2023 lockdown incident at Harrisonburg High School that caused confusion. “Code red” means everyone stays behind locked doors with lights off and quiet; “code orange” means students and staff stay behind locked doors, but instruction continues; “code yellow” means everyone remains inside the building; and “code green” means the situation is clear.
Harrisonburg Police Lt. Chris Monahan emphasized that all threats must be taken seriously until police can investigate their credibility.
“Many threats are anonymous and come from outside the area,” Monahan said. “However, the incidents we investigated last Friday were local. We contacted the individuals involved and determined there was no plan to carry out any violence.”
Monahan said there’s a balance between providing the public with enough information and avoiding fueling further threats. However, he acknowledged the importance of transparency in these situations.
Monday’s threat led to an arrest
Monahan said the department received the initial tip from a concerned citizen who saw the post on Snapchat. Police launched an investigation that continued throughout Monday night.
Monahan said additional calls came in as the threat circulated on other social media platforms.
“There was a lot of concern in the community because the post was being shared so much. It became much broader than Harrisonburg,” Monahan said. “Other localities in Virginia, not just Harrisonburg, had tips related to the post.”
After determining the threat, police contacted Harrisonburg City Public Schools. Working with Superintendent Michael Richards, a decision was made early Monday morning to close both high schools while police worked to locate the juvenile.
“As we develop a case, we are in constant communication with [the school system] regarding the credibility and risk at the schools,” Monahan said. “We provide as much information as we can to the school system so they can make an informed decision.”
Monday morning, parents received a letter from Richards explaining the decision.
“After the school shooting in Georgia, schools across the country have received a rash of threats. We are no different,” the letter read. “So far, the threats against us have been fairly easy to determine as not credible. The current one is also most likely not credible, but we don’t take chances. We work with law enforcement and only declare a threat not credible when they agree.”
Later Monday evening, police determined the same juvenile had also made threats against Wilson High School in Augusta County. Harrisonburg police immediately notified Augusta County school officials.
As part of the partnership between HCPS and the police, officers were dispatched to all city schools on Monday to address concerns and keep students and staff safe.
“It’s all hands on deck,” Monahan said. “Our school resource officers, patrol division, and detectives all contributed to ensure we put ourselves in a position to be successful and to let the community know we are taking this seriously.”
Back to Normal on Tuesday
High school students returned to class Tuesday while the suspect, now in custody, was transported to a juvenile detention center.
In a letter sent to parents Monday night, Richards urged students to report threats to adults rather than sharing them on social media. He also asked parents to discuss the severe consequences of making or reporting false threats.
“Safety threats against a school not only disrupt the school day but take an emotional toll on students and staff,” Richards wrote. “Students must understand that threatening language, including on social media, has serious disciplinary and legal consequences—even if there is no intention to act on it.”
Richards added that law enforcement works with social media companies to obtain information that students may think is anonymous or deleted.
School Board Chair Andy Kohen told The Citizen that board members were kept informed throughout the situation. He said there would likely be a closed session with the superintendent and police officials at an upcoming board meeting.
“We are grateful for the rapid and complete cooperation of the Harrisonburg Police Department in addressing the threat,” Kohen said.
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