Police were summoned onto a St. Croix public school campus Monday after a threatening message was found circulating among students over a social media platform. A source familiar with the incident said classes were temporarily suspended while an investigation got under way.
The first public notice regarding the situation at the Claude O. Markoe School came from the Education Department shortly around 9:15 a.m. Parents and guardians were told that Markoe School was on lockdown; they were asked not to come to school until police completed their inspection.
A second advisory came four-and-a-half hours later, around 1:45 p.m., offering a fuller explanation. “The threat originated from a Snapchat message that was being circulated among students. The message also mentioned the Lew Muckle PreK-6 School and the St. Croix Educational Complex. However, the 911 call specifically referenced the Claude O. Markoe Elementary School,” the Monday afternoon statement said.
Police spokesperson Glen Dratte confirmed that a call mentioning a potential threat was received by the 911 emergency call center. “STX ECC received a call from the principal of Claude O. Markoe School stating a student came in with a screenshot of a text message. The text message read, ‘We are going to shoot up Claude O. Markoe, Complex, and Lew Muckle school on Monday,’” Dratte said.
Police conducted security inspections on all three campuses. No threats were found, authorities said. The statement released by Education gave no attribution to Commissioner Dionne Wells-Hedrington or any other government official.
Public school parents were encouraged to speak with their students about the serious nature of pranks like the one occurring on Monday.
The incident is the third to disrupt schools in recent weeks. Lockhart K-8 School on St. Thomas was placed on lockdown Dec. 4 after a 911 caller said a student had a loaded weapon. However, after a sweep of the campus, police determined there was no threat, the V.I. Education Department reported at the time. Last Thursday, a 911 caller said a student at St. Croix Educational Complex and the Career and Technical Education campus had a firearm, prompting a lockdown. That call also proved to be false.
