VIRGINIA BEACH — For the second day in a row, the St. John the Apostle Catholic School on Friday in response to threats received in the wake of a disciplinary decision made by school officials.
The private school, which serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, initially planned to close Thursday, but announced in a message to parents later that day that it would keep its doors closed Friday.
Catholic Schools Superintendent Michael Riley wrote that school officials have been working with law enforcement. He also said they had determined the emailed threat was sent by someone outside the Virginia Beach area with no connection to the school.
“And we know that this individual sent the threat in response to new surveillance he saw related to the school’s recent disciplinary decision,” Riley wrote.
The Virginian-Pilot and other local media reported this week about the school’s decision to suspend a 6th grader after he told the principal that a classmate had a bullet. The boy, 11, was told he would also be punished because he did not report the incident immediately, according to his mother, Rachel Wigand.
Wigand said her son didn’t say anything right away because he wanted to wait until the other boy was no longer around. Both boys received the same punishment, she said, which was a 1½-day suspension.
Wigand contacted attorney Tim Anderson in an attempt to have the decision overturned, but the school refused. She is now considering filing a lawsuit.
“Public opinion overwhelmingly supports my client that St. John’s wrongfully suspended her son,” Anderson wrote Friday. “They are in the hot seat for making a stupid decision and now want the school parents to be mad at my client because the school is closed.”
However, Riley wrote in his letter to parents that school officials must take such threats seriously. A private security firm has been hired to ensure a safe return to school next week, he wrote.
Jane Harper, jane.harper@pilotonline.com