Two schools in Southern California are dealing with threats made to their campuses Wednesday morning, forcing one to close and the other to increase security for students, just days before graduation.
The person who threatened Sierra Vista High School in Baldwin Park, according to Baldwin Park Police, is a juvenile student who attends the school.
Police say the threats began last week, when staff received an email regarding explosive devices on campus. Nothing was found at the school, but more threats from the same subject arrived soon after on Tuesday.
The FBI was called out to assist with the investigation, and they were able to track down the student responsible.
That student was later arrested. Sierra Vista will also have increased police patrols out of an abundance of caution.
Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, on the other hand, has closed its campus through Friday due to a “credible threat,” according to school officials.
It’s believed that threat is from a former school employee, but investigators won’t share why they believe that employee is the source. It’s also not yet known how or when the threat was received.
Santa Ana Police confirmed that officers were on campus Tuesday, and determined there was no threat of a shooting.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Orange chose to shutdown the school as the investigation continues.
“Safety and sweep protocols were implemented. We acknowledge the alarming nature of this message; however, we at Mater Dei take all threats made to the school seriously,” the school said in a statement Monday.
Parents are on edge, with the threats arriving a little over one week following the deadly mass shooting at a Texas elementary school.
“Any kind of threat like that you should probably shut down the school and maybe get some armed guards,” said one Mater Dei parent, Manuel Perez.
Maritza Silas, another parent, says she’s scared to drop off her kids at school.
“I know it’s something that I have to do,” she said. “But it is scary.”
Mater Dei is working out the details of how final exams will be carried out while the campus is closed due to the threat. Online exams are an option being considered.
