Dr. Kevin Clark, the principal of Yorktown, sent this message to families on Thursday:

I wanted to follow up about today’s lockdown situation at Yorktown. Our students have been dismissed and everyone is safe. I know this was frightening for everyone involved and appreciate the cooperation and support of our students, staff, families and community.

The police were called at approximately 1:30 p.m. and the school was placed on lockdown due to an anonymous telephone threat to shoot up the school. The Arlington County Police Department continues its investigation and police conducted a cautionary search of the building.

We expect to open on time tomorrow and will have counselors available to support students who need help processing this incident. Because this is an active investigation, there is not much more I can share at this time, but we will provide an update as soon as details are available.