The messages began surfacing on social media Wednesday. One targeted Prince Edward County Public Schools. Another threatened schools in Cumberland County. The same thing happened in Buckingham. As students finished their school day, officials in several counties were making decisions about how to respond to these threats against schools.

“We were made aware of a social media message where someone made a possible threat to our schools as well as several other schools in our area,” said Chip Jones, superintendent of Cumberland Schools. “We have contacted Sheriff Hodges and made him aware of this post.”

The same was true in Buckingham and Prince Edward counties, where law enforcement was notified of these messages and given all necessary information. All three districts sent notices to parents informing them of the threats and that law enforcement had been notified.

The situations were identical to those that occurred a day earlier. Schools in Frederick County, Virginia, were closed on Wednesday, September 11, after similar threats were posted on social media. In this case, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office said its investigation revealed the messages may have originated outside of Virginia.

This week, schools in West Virginia, Kentucky, Texas, Colorado and Pennsylvania were also targeted through social media messages. The Herald reached out to the FBI office in Richmond but had not received a response as of this morning. The FBI has not issued a comment on the posts, either here in Central Virginia or in other states.

Threats at schools did not apply to Virginia

Additionally, in some cases, it appears that residents panicked because messages were not intended for that area. For example, people in Charlotte and Mecklenburg counties were upset by posts that mentioned “Mecklenburg schools” or “Charlotte schools.” However, Charlotte County Sheriff’s officials determined that these threats against schools referred to North Carolina, not Virginia.

“Investigators immediately investigated the potential threat and concluded that the actual threat occurred in the Charlotte/Mecklenburg, North Carolina area,” said a statement from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia.

What about today’s class?

So what happens now? Well, children and teachers are going back to school, but only if they want to. In Buckingham, Cumberland and Prince Edward counties, classes will be held on a regular schedule today. However, all three counties will see an increased presence of deputy sheriffs.

Additionally, each district is leaving it up to parents to decide who comes. Several Buckingham parents told the Herald they would keep their children home today for safety reasons. In Cumberland, Jones said in a message to parents that he understands if people want to keep their children home. So all absences in Cumberland are excused for today. As of 5 a.m., all three districts also plan to go ahead with extracurricular activities as scheduled. That goes for sports and clubs.