Multiple school facilities locked down following active shooter report at Skyline Middle School eventually determined to be hoax

The Royal Examiner received the following press release from Warren County Public Schools:

Dear parents and guardians, September 19, 2022

Today at approximately 3:00 pm, the Warren County Sheriff’s Department received a call reporting an active shooter at Skyline Middle School. A number of schools were immediately placed on lockdown by the Sheriff’s Department, including Blue Ridge Technical Center, Skyline Middle School, Skyline High School, and E. Wilson Morrison Elementary School.

Officers reported immediately to the impacted schools and quickly conducted campus safety assessments. After an extensive investigation process, the threat was determined by the Sheriff’s Department to be an unfounded report. The lockdown caused a significant delay in student dismissal while we worked with our law enforcement partners to ensure safety. All schools returned to normal operations at approximately 3:45 pm after schools were given the all-clear from the Warren County Sheriff’s Department. We moved to a 4:00 pm release time for all secondary schools. At no time were any students or staff members in danger.

We understand all situations requiring a lockdown are concerning to our parents, students, employees, and to our community. Our students and staff members did an excellent job following safety procedures during the lockdown. We are grateful for our partnership with the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, Front Royal Police Department, and Warren County Fire and Rescue, who responded today to ensure the safety of our students and staff members.

Thank you for the opportunity you have given us to serve you and your family. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Chris Ballenger, Ed.D.
Superintendent

The Warren County Sheriff’s Office posted the following on their Facebook page:

One was received by Warren County Communications regarding Skyline Middle School. As of right now, we have NO information that the call to our school (Skyline Middle School) is valid.

Warren County Sheriff’s Office, Front Royal Police Department, and Warren County Fire & Rescue responded, securing all schools in the County to ensure all students and teachers were safe and there, in fact, was no incident.

All schools in Warren County have been released from lockdown. Skyline Middle School was the last to be released.

“Virginia State Police have released that this is the 5th active shooter call in the Commonwealth today. There are two similar calls in Mecklenburg County, one in Culpeper and one in Charlottesville. This call came in from another state.

All schools were placed on lockdown for precaution.” Quote from Shenandoah County Sheriff’s

The call to Warren County Communications also came from an out of State number, and we can provide no additional information. Virginia State Police have been notified of our call. Virginia State Police is working on the incident throughout the Commonwealth.

The Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office released this information: