This week’s mass killing at a high school in Germany, a disturbing reminder of the shooting at Columbine High massacre nearly 10 years ago, may have fed fears that students were going to bomb San Ramon’s California High School.
The Contra Costa Times says that 600 to 700 students stayed home from school today, and school officials speculate the huge number of absences has to do with rumors flying around the area that students were planning to set bombs at the school.
Police and San Ramon Valley School District officials heard those same rumors earlier in the week, investigated them, and found no credible threat. School officials assured parents of that in e-mails sent Thursday.
The rumors turned out to be based on idle chit-chat among students hanging out at a San Ramon skate park, officials told the Times. Students overheard two boys about a video game that involved diffusing bombs set at a high school and how such an attack could be carried out at California High School.
Despite the district’s assurances that students would be safe, hundreds stayed home The 2,700-student school usually has about 70 students absent daily.
6 comments:
Columbine was 10 years ago. I'm losing track of time. Did it happen on Hitler's birthday? I think it did, that was part of the sick symbolism of the event.
I think these students were looking for an excuse to take a nice Friday off and have a long weekend. Or there parents were. Last of the ski season maybe.
That's ridiculous. My son was honstly worried about going to school, and he didn't. I received the email from the district but what am I supposed to make of that? This is my son, and it didn't hurt for him to have a day off from school to do his work at home.
As someone who was a Senior in High School when Columbine happened, I completely understand these students' feelings. Although the District may feel that they have every contingency accounted for, do they really?
Approximately 1-month after Columbine a bomb threat was called into my school. School officials (within the SRVUSD) gathered us in the gym, then deciding that was unsafe on the football field. We felt like sitting ducks!
I also had a child stay home that day just to stay safe. I would do it again. The article indicates that this was investigated earlier in the week. Friday's attendance might have improved if communications would have went out earlier. The first communication was received at 3:24 on Thursday afternoon to dispell the rumor and assure parents that safety was the number one concern. Perhaps if we had heard where the rumor had began in the inital email more students would have been in attendance. We didn't receive background information until 11:30 the next day...A little late to get children to school.
Teenagers are prone to drama, and here are a bunch of adults taking their direction from kids. Okie, dokie.
8:44,
Do you know how much ADA your school district lost as a result of hundreds of children being out of school? As a parent, I'd sure as heck care about that.
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