WASHINGTON — Police in Loudoun County are investigating a racist threat that was made against a local high school.
The Loudoun County NAACP alerted WUSA9 about a Snapchat post which appeared to threaten violence at Tuscarora High School just outside of Leesburg.
The post read: "Mood: To kill all you ni***s in tusky".
WUSA9 showed the post to the Loudoun County Public Schools system. An LCPS spokesperson said the school district was aware of the threat.
"And, [we] have communicated this awareness to the Tuscarora High School community," said LCPS spokesperson Wayde Byard.
A spokesperson with the Leesburg Police Department confirmed that its officers were investigating the threat. However, the department declined to release more details because its investigation is ongoing.
Pamela Croft, principal of Tuscarora High School, said in a statement Tuesday that there was no evidence to suggest the threat was credible and that police were still investigating the source of the post.
LCPS then sent out another message about the incident Wednesday. It can be read here:
"We condemn the social media post that stated, “Mood to kill all you niggas in Tusky.” It was reportedly posted initially on SnapChat and circulated further via Instagram. As Superintendent Eric Williams emphasized, “Hateful, threatening language such as this can never be tolerated in LCPS because of its harmful effect on individuals, groups, and communities. We reject this painful, racist language that encourages discrimination, hatred, and violence.”
After consulting today with the President of the Loudoun Chapter of the NAACP, we are sharing the specific language of the social media post to call this language out as unacceptable. LCPS and Tuscarora High School will work with student leaders, parents, community leaders, and school mental health officials to address the emotional impact of this hateful language. We will continue to promote inclusive, safe, caring learning environments as a foundation for student well-being and growth.
The Leesburg Police Department and Loudoun County Public Schools do not have any evidence that the statement in the social media post is a credible threat. The Leesburg Police Department continues to investigate the social media post and has requested that the Loudoun County Public Schools not release additional details regarding this matter."
Pastor Michelle C. Thomas, President of the Loudoun County branch of the NAACP, said parents and students at Tuscarora High School sent her the post.
She said she was frustrated to see yet another racial incident occur in Loudoun County.
"There is an abundance of racial issues, whether it is leafleting or vandalism," Thomas said.
In late February, an African American family said it was distraught after they discovered a swastika and the n-word drawn in the snow near their house.
Also, in February, educators at Madison's Trust Elementary School, in Brambleton, came under national scrutiny after some parents learned their children were asked to participate in a runaway slave game.
Then, on Monday, Loudoun County Police were called out to the 16900 block of Adie Lane in Paeonian Springs, after a man made a report that someone had vandalized his car with a racial slur.
Thomas said she wants to see systemic change happen in Loudoun County to address the community's challenges with racism.
"Racism is probably something that we can't fix, but we can protect the community," said Thomas. "This county deserves a hate crime ordinance so that those perpetrators of hate crimes and intimidation crimes can be held accountable."