A Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) student was charged with threats of mass violence after allegedly calling Parkland Middle School in Rockville on Monday and threatening to carry out a shooting, according to a Thursday statement from Montgomery County police.
The 13-year-old student, who attends a different middle school, was charged with threats of mass violence and disruption of school activities. Police didn’t identify the student because he’s a minor. The case will be handled by the Department of Juvenile Services, according to the police statement.
Parkland Magnet Middle School and nearby Brookhaven Elementary School in Rockville were placed in a modified shelter-in-place Monday afternoon after a threat was reported at the middle school, according to a social media post from Montgomery County police.
At roughly 11:15 a.m., the Parkland Middle principal reported the school received a call from a blocked number with the caller threatening to “shoot up the school,” according to police radio transmissions. MCPS officials immediately notified police and Community Engagement Officers, who are county police officers assigned to specific high school clusters, responded to the campus, according to the Thursday statement.
At 1:04 p.m. Monday, police officers “cleared both schools” and continued to investigate the source of the threat at the middle school while the schools remained in modified shelter-in-place, according to social media posts.
MCPS spokesperson Liliana López said in an email to Bethesda Today Monday afternoon that both schools were in a modified shelter-in-place, where students remained indoors with no outdoor recess until the end of the day.
After an investigation, according to the Thursday statement, the caller was identified as a 13-year-old male student from a different middle school. Police determined there is no credible threat to the community.
In a Thursday afternoon statement, López said MCPS appreciated Montgomery County police for supporting the district.
“Making threats to our schools causes unnecessary anxiety and fear among students, staff and the broader community,” López said. “They also significantly disrupt the daily operations of our schools, undermining the safe and supportive learning environment that we are committed to maintaining.”
