ROANOKE, Va. – UPDATE
Both charges against a Roanoke man, Stephen Johnson, accused of making school threats have been dismissed.
Roanoke Commonwealth’s Attorney Donald Caldwell said he was not involved in the incident.
For more information, click here.
ORIGINAL STORY
Roanoke City students returned to the classroom Monday but it comes following a week disrupted by school threats made online.
10 News told you about the threats made to Roanoke City Public Schools last week. We heard messages from the district along with parents’ concerns over the matter.
On Monday, during a pre-scheduled event, 10 News followed up with Superintendent White to hear her message.
“We always have our finger on the pulse of what’s going on so that if something is at hand ... then we act on that. That’s what we saw last week. If it comes to it and we have to close schools to keep everyone safe then that’s what we’ll do,” White said.
While Roanoke Police have arrested a 15-year-old student and 35-year-old, Stephen Johnson in regards to the incident, parents remain concerned.
“We know that the trauma is real. Not only for our students but for our staff and quite frankly for many of us. We’ll have to take it one day at a time, knowing that we have great people, doing the right work, for the right reasons ... for our babies,” White said.
The district remains committed to providing resources to students who are struggling with the situation. On Monday, counselors were made available to students who wanted to talk.