Social media threat to Varina High “non-credible,” police say

There was an extra presence of police and administrators at Varina High School on Friday following the discovery of a social media threat made toward the school.

A juvenile posted a photo of three guns and named Varina High School in the post, according to Henrico Police. The threat was deemed non-credible, because the juvenile had no known weapons to carry out the threat, police said.

The minor was identified and the case is now being handled through the juvenile justice system.

Anyone who communicates a threat in writing, including on social media, to kill or do bodily harm on K-12 school grounds can be charged a class 6 felony, according to Virginia law.

“There are consequences and we want students and parents to understand the severity of any type of threat whether it is verbal or through social media,” said Henrico Lt. Matt Pecka.

This threat comes on the heels of a similar threat toward Highland Springs High School last week, but the two are not related, according to police.

Varina High School Principal Darin Thompson sent a message to the VHS community Friday morning that notified families of the situation.

“We will still have additional support on campus today, along with being extremely vigilant in implementing our safety and supervision measures to ensure the safety of our students and staff,” Thompson wrote.

At a Henrico School Board meeting last week, board member Alicia Atkins (Varina District) inquired about building a committee that would assist with the impact of social media on children’s health, following the Highland Springs High investigation.

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Anna Bryson is the Henrico Citizen's education reporter and a Report for America corps member. Make a tax-deductible donation to support her work, and RFA will match it dollar for dollar.