GW Middle School To Increase Security After Copycat Threat

ALEXANDRIA, VA—After Francis C. Hammond went on lockdown and evacuated students to investigate a threat made on social media, a copycat threat has been made against another Alexandria school. Police have said the threats are not credible.

George Washington Middle School said the message was similar to the threat posted about Hammond on social media. School will happen as scheduled Friday, Jan. 19 with increased security, according to Alexandria City Public Schools officials.

Hammond went on lockdown Thursday at 10 a.m. and shortly after had students evacuate as police searched the building with K9 units. Alexandria Police later gave an all-clear, and all students were accounted for. Authorities did not know if the threat is credible but treated it as such by evacuating students until it was deemed safe.

Here's the message from GW Middle School to families:

You may be aware that shortly after 9:45 a.m. this morning, Francis C. Hammond Middle School was evacuated due to a threat on social media that had been posted overnight. Students were transported to T.C. Williams High School.

The Alexandria Police Department was immediately notified about the threat and spent more than three hours searching the building with trained dogs. Shortly before 1 p.m. the police determined the school was safe for re-entry and students were transported back to Hammond by bus. The incident is considered a police matter and the Alexandria Police Department will continue to investigate the origin of the threat.

We are now aware that we have what appears to be a copycat message on Twitter, that has some similarities to the one that was posted regarding Hammond. This time GW is the target of the threat. Alexandria Police Department was immediately notified and is investigating the origin of the message. ACPS will be increasing security at GW tomorrow. While we are treating this as a serious matter, school will be in session tomorrow and children are expected to be in school as usual.

ACPS takes any threat to the safety of our students very seriously. The safety of our students is always our first priority. We will communicate with parents as soon as possible during an emergency, but we will always ensure the safety of students and staff before beginning any communication. Please remember that during an emergency, we ask that parents not come to the school unless specifically requested to do so.

Please remind your child about responsible social media use. ACPS teaches and encourages responsible social media use for all our students. If your child needs a reminder, please share this student presentation and view this presentation for parents.

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Image via S. Stanton/Visit Alexandria