Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signs H.B. 1572 into law surrounded by local state representatives, officials, and law enforcement at the ceremony at E.C. Glass on Thursday, May 4. Image: Sami Mirza/Altavista Journal

Jackson Gulley had the opportunity of a lifetime last week, and he took it. The E.C. Glass junior grabbed a basketball and faced off against none other than Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, who was at the school on Thursday, May 4 to sign a bill aimed at counteracting false threats called in to emergency services — also known as “swatting.”

E.C. Glass is no stranger to fabricated threats of violence. In January, the school was locked down for an entire day after a threat was called in — another unforgettable experience for Gulley.

“It was horrifying,” he said. “I was in a room for eight hours, couldn't even use the bathroom and had limited food.”

The bill — H.B. 1572 in the House of Delegates and S.B. 1291 in the state Senate — makes falsely reporting an emergency a class 1 misdemeanor and punishable with up to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine. If someone is seriously injured in the incident, it rises to a class 6 felony, and if someone is killed, a class 5 felony. The legislation also allows localities to set ordinances where anyone that breaks the law is liable for the costs of sending emergency services out to respond.

There’s more to this in the current issue of the Times Virginian newspaper. Support local journalism by purchasing the issue at a local newsstand or subscribing at www.timesvirginian.com/subscriber_services to receive the print edition or view the full article in the e-edition version.