SACRAMENTO - Local law enforcement, Homeland Security, and the FBI are all on alert this week after Rio Americano High School employees discovered threats of a school shooting. The threats warned the violence could happen as early as Tuesday.
The school day passed without incident Tuesday.
Several parents of students said they were determined not to let the threat scare them, but law enforcement and the school beefed up security, just in case.
Many of the parents waiting to pick up their students after school took it all in stride when they learned about the threats made Friday.
"I didn't take it seriously. There's never been anything like that here at this school," Rio Americano parent Jamie Snyder said.
Investigators said they can't be too careful after a school employee discovered graffiti on a campus restroom stall warning of a school shooting Wednesday, Oct. 22. A handwritten note found later that day warned the shooting had been rescheduled for Tuesday. The specifics of the threats led some to question their credibility.
"I wouldn't really think that anybody would come shooting at the school. And why would you tell somebody in advance? Then they'd be prepared," Snyder said.
"I can't recall any specific school shootings that have happened that there was a type of appointment that was made that this seems to be, but we're not taking that for granted," Sacramento County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Sgt. Lisa Bowman said.
Rio Americano Principal Brian Ginter sent parents messages reassuring them about the investigation, stating in one web post: "Safe Schools has done a threat assessment on this situation and feels there is no evidence that it is a credible threat. With that being said, we are still taking it seriously."
It's still unclear who made the threat and why, but the warnings were discovered the same day students mounted a peaceful protest over an incident involving student Dejza Boyd-Tanner. She said a vice principal grabbed her, slammed her against a desk, and took her to the ground. The sheriff's department said the student started the confrontation, and the administrator was just trying to restrain her. Students at the protest objected to Boyd-Tanner's suspension, but investigators can't say if the threats of a shooting were related.
In the meantime, Snyder said she was convinced the school is safe for her son.
"I told him if anything does happen, hide. So there's not much I can do about it. I'm not going to keep him out of school because he needs to go to school," she said.
If the person who made the threats is caught, he or she could face felony charges and a year in state prison.
