VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A Virginia Beach parent is speaking with News 3 after she claims her child was threatened by another student at Brandon Middle School, who said they were going to shoot them.
According to police, one child is now facing a serious charge.
“For those words to even leave his mouth in this day and age, in this societal climate, is just diabolical,” said Rachel Low, who said her son was the student threatened.
Low thought Monday was a typical day for her son at Brandon Middle School, but that evening, she received a call from school administration. She was informed about an email sent to families that day, which involved her son.
“The administrator told me that my son was part of an incident and that he was threatened to be shot, and at that point, I just went blank,” Low said.
The email, which Low claims was sent out to families before she was notified, stated that a student made a threatening statement that was overheard by other students.
Low spoke to her son after the school officials made her aware of the email and learned that the situation escalated when he told another student to pull up their pants.
“The child allegedly then turned around and said, ‘You know what, you’re going to be my next victim,’ and proceeded to act as if his hand was a gun and pretended to shoot my son,” Low recounted. “I guess there were other children standing around as well, and he said, ‘You know what, all of y’all are next. I’ll shoot up the school tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.’”
According to Virginia Beach police, the child who made the threat has been charged with one count of threatening bodily harm and was taken to the juvenile detention center. Low has since spoken with the school about the safety measures that will be taken concerning her son.
“I asked if they could ensure that my child would not be forced to have any interaction with this child,” Low explained. “They said as long as he doesn’t approach the other kid or walk up to him, but to me, that’s just not sufficient.”
On Wednesday evening, News 3 reached out to Virginia Beach City Public Schools to inquire about the process for alerting families about threats, but we are still waiting for a response.
Low’s son has returned to school, and while she remains concerned for his safety, she hopes this situation prompts parents to engage in discussions with their children.
“You know, this isn’t right. You can’t make these claims and feel like you’re just going to be told, ‘Don’t do that.’ I do feel like accountability has to be had,” Low emphasized.
