A student at the Gladys Abraham Elementary School and the school itself have received threatening phone calls, and the V.I. Police Department said it will pursue the case aggressively.
School officials told police Wednesday that a minor student received a phone call at her home from a caller who threatened members of the school administration. School officials on St. Thomas also admitted to police that they have received threatening phone calls at the school from unknown persons.
On Wednesday afternoon, Gov. John deJongh Jr. said any and all threats against schools in the territory will be taken very seriously and the perpetrators of these senseless acts will be charged to the fullest extent of the law.
According to a statement from Government House, the trouble started Nov. 29 at Abraham Elementary. A parent threatened school personnel after alleging that his child, a student at the school, had been struck by a teacher and bullied by fellow students. The parent was arrested shortly after the incident and has been incarcerated pending further court action, the statement said.
Police immediately took precautionary measures, which included canvassing the entire school grounds and buildings.
“We take seriously any threats made towards the safety and security of our schools, as well as the teacher and student populations. Anyone making any kind of threats, especially in these highly sensitive times, can expect to be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” deJongh said.
St. Thomas/St. John Police Chief Darren Foy said, “I want to reassure the community that the VIPD will aggressively investigate these cases. We do not take these threats lightly, we take them very seriously.”
Foy said the department has “no tolerance for these types of threats, whether they are made over the phone, in person, via the Internet or by any other means."