Good afternoon, Prince George Families,

I hope this message finds you well as the weekend winds down. The safety of our school community is something we hold close, and we take every possible measure to keep our students, staff, and guests safe at our schools every day.

As I shared last week, we learned of a threatening statement made toward our J.E.J. Moore Middle School community. Thanks to the swift investigation of our local police, the threat was deemed not credible. Out of an abundance of caution, we put extra security measures in place for Friday. Those responsible for making these threats are subject to disciplinary action under our Student Code of Conduct and potential legal consequences from local law enforcement.

However, over the weekend, rumors have continued to circulate and concerns have lingered about last week's statements, creating anxiety and worry for students, families, staff, and the Prince George community.

To be clear, we have received no reports of any new threats involving Moore Middle School, or any of the district’s schools or facilities. The information continuing to circulate in our community relates to last week's statements, which law enforcement previously investigated and deemed not credible.

Our district is in constant communication with local police as part of our school safety efforts. Whenever we receive reports of threats or otherwise concerning statements directed toward our campuses, we work with law enforcement to investigate and, most importantly, protect our community. For tomorrow, as part of our commitment to safety, we will continue to have extra safety measures in place, including an enhanced presence of local law enforcement.

Each of you plays a role in keeping our schools safe, so I continue to encourage you: If you hear or see something, please say something immediately. During school hours, you can reach out to building staff or an administrator, and you can contact Prince George County Police anytime, day or night, to report threats or other safety concerns. You can also use the online community safety platform P3 Tips, where you can share information anonymously with Crime Stoppers programs, local police, and schools.

Finally, I strongly encourage our whole community not to spread screenshots or images of threatening messages on social media or other places online, and instead to report them immediately to school staff or law enforcement. Even when shared out of understandable concern for safety, spreading this content online can increase anxiety and fear in our community and make it harder for school administrators and police to investigate the content and find its original source.

Our schools focus on providing safe and secure learning environments for all, and I understand situations like this can cause concern. Please be assured that we will continue to respond promptly through our established safety procedures, in partnership with local police, to protect the safety and well-being of our students and staff.

I appreciate your trust, cooperation, and support during this time, and wish you a great rest of your Sunday.

Sincerely,

Dr. Wayne Lyle
Superintendent
Prince George County Public Schools