Police Increase Presence At Leesburg Schools After Texas Elementary School Shooting

LEESBURG, VA — Students, parents, and staff may notice an increased police presence at Leesburg elementary schools on Wednesday.

The police department said there would be more officers deployed to the schools on Wednesday in the wake of the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

Authorities said there was no specific threat to Leesburg schools. Instead, the decision to increase police presence was to elevate the peace of mind for the school community after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde on Tuesday.

"As a result of this tragedy and in an abundance of caution, residents will see an increased LPD presence at elementary schools in #LeesburgVA to ensure that members of our community feel safe in school," the Leesburg Police Department wrote on Facebook. "This increased presence is in addition to our School Resource Officers already assigned to safeguard schools in the Town of Leesburg."

In a letter to the community, Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Ziegler said the increased security presence would continue for a few days.

"Like you, I am shocked and deeply saddened by the news of the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Texas," Ziegler wrote. "School should, and must, be a place where students and staff feel safe and secure."

Ziegler also referred families to several resources for students who needed assistance coping with the tragedy. Unified Mental Health Teams would be available at Loudoun schools, and additional resources are available online.

In total, 19 students and two teachers were killed at Robb Elementary School on Tuesday, authorities have confirmed. Police said the gunman shot his grandmother before opening fire on the children.

Read more: Texas School Shooting: 19 Children Killed In Uvalde

The shooting is the deadliest at a U.S. elementary school since the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012. It comes four years after a gunman killed 10 people in a shooting at Santa Fe High School in the Houston area.