HALIFAX COUNTY, Va. – An additional school resource officer is now on hand at Halifax County High School and Halifax County Middle School and will remain through the end of the school year.
The move may have come just in time, as both schools were placed on lockdown Wednesday after a possible threat was discovered on Snapchat.
"The extra school resource officers are going to be a little bit of a cost because we're going to have to pay time and a half because they're already contracted with the county. We'll take those officers that are off duty and we're going to utilize them," Halifax County Public Schools Superintendent Mark Lineburg said.
The decision was made after a recent meeting Lineburg held with Halifax County school and law enforcement officials in response to the Feb. 14 shooting at a Florida high school that left 17 people dead.Â
Lineburg said money available from unfilled teaching positions will be used to cover the cost of the extra resource officers.
"If you see something or hear something, you've got to share it and tell us because we want to track it down. At the same time, if you make a frivolous threat...we are absolutely going to punish you to the fullest extent of what we can do here," Lineburg said.
A decision about whether to keep the officers on campuses after this year hasn't been decided yet.
Donna Mosier has a daughter at Halifax County High School.
Adding an extra resource officer is something she agrees with, but she said that shouldn't be the only change.
"Put metal detectors in (the school)," Mosier said.
School safety is something that is forefront in her mind right now.
"Lately? Yeah. Lately, it's every day you worry about it," Moiser said.
Margaret Hunter has two great grandchildren in the school system.
School safety is always a concern for her, but she also believes the schools are already very safe.
"I have to congratulate our law enforcement and our teachers. We have some of the finest around here in Halifax County," Hunter said. "Things are going to happen, but they try and take care of things."
Lineburg said an anonymous phone tip line will be established soon.
According to the state's criminal justice department, 56 percent of Virginia schools have some type of system for parents, students and staff to anonymously report tips.
State police will also do a security assessment at the schools before the end of the school year.