NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Richneck Elementary parents tell News 3 they are angry, fearful and concerned after learning a student allegedly sent threatening messages about blowing up the school.
In a letter to families on Monday, Karen Lynch, the school's extended learning supervisor, said a group of fifth graders was texting Saturday when one of them said they would "'pop some bullets' and tell someone to shoot up the class."
One of the students told their parents about the conversation which was then made known to a teacher who contacted school administrators.
"I immediately contacted the student’s parent and excluded the student from school. The NNPS Leadership Team, the Student Conduct and Discipline Office and the police department have been notified," Lynch said in the letter.
It's the same school where police said a6-year-old shot first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner in a classroom on Jan. 6, 2023.
Vonda Pendleton, the grandparents of a Richneck student, said this incident brings back unnerving feelings that came after the January incident.
"What is wrong with this child?" she said. "It just sparks up a lot more anxiety all over again."
School leaders said Newport News police are part of this investigation and threat assessment is also in progress now.
