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Where are most school bomb threats and student threats being made?

Posted at 9:22 PM, Nov 04, 2015
and last updated 2015-11-04 23:39:19-05

RICHMOND, Va. -- Data from the Virginia Department of Education shows that Richmond Public Schools, a system that is smaller than both Chesterfield and Henrico, had the largest number of schools report bomb threats to the state among the three systems.

CBS 6 wanted to know how often students make threats against other students, or make bomb threats, in Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield, after recent threats at Midlothian and Glen Allen High Schools.

Midlothian high schoolChesterfield Police has investigated three threats to harm students at Midlothian High School in the last ten days.

Students told CBS 6 they were unaware.

“I hadn’t heard of anything at that time, so I didn’t think anything of it,” Clay Honrado, a Midlothian student, said.

Chesterfield Police said no credible threat was found in two of the instances, and they are still investigating the third.

The recent threats come on the heels of back-to-back bomb threats at Glen Allen High School in Henrico.

We dug into state data and found the region’s largest school system, Chesterfield, reported the most student threats made against other students over the past three school years.

Student threats by location

Former Hanover Superintendent, Dr. Stewart Roberson, said that makes sense.

“The numbers appear to be in sync with the sizes of the school systems,” Roberson said.

Specific schoolsMatoaca High School and Carver Middle School each reported the most student threats against another student of any school in the three school systems.

“There’s ample reason for the school and law enforcement to focus resources in those areas,” Roberson said.

The data also showed that Richmond, a system that is smaller than both Chesterfield and Henrico, had the largest number of schools report bomb threats to the state: twenty-seven.

bomb threats

Martin Luther King Middle School experienced the most with ten.

“School officials then have the obligation to determine what is going to be the appropriate response in each of these instances so that deterrent is put in place so that it doesn’t happen again,” Roberson said.

Roberson also said school systems often do not tell parents and students about the threats they investigate because they are often found to be unfounded and they don’t want to create a panic.

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