VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WVEC) -- Three major entities are addressing the growing issues of threats made against schools in the largest city in the state.
On Friday, the Virginia Beach Police Department, Commonwealth Attorney Colin Stolle, and Virginia Beach Public Schools held a news conference at City Hall.
One shocking statistic stood out: Virginia Beach Police Chief James Cervera said that out of the last eight days, there have been 21 school threat investigations. Half of those have ended in arrests, and from their knowledge, all those involved have been juveniles.
Chief Cervera did not go into detail about which schools had received threats, but he did say they were all middle and high schools.
One of the biggest takeaways that officials wanted the public to know, was that parents need to step up their game and monitor children's social media. They say parents have every right to look at what their children are doing online.
Commonwealth's Attorney Stolle had some very simple words for students.
"I would say to our students, if you make a stupid decision like make a threat against a school, it will follow you for the rest of your life," he said. Stolle said as an example it could affect a child's ability to go to college and have other long-term effects on their lives, with potential charges ranging from a misdemeanor to a felony.
Chief Schools Officer Rashard Wright also spoke out about security. He said because of what happened in Florida, they have reminded staff about safety procedures.
Virginia Beach Schools already have a program in place meant to raise awareness of online responsibility.