Reported Social Media Threats at UHS
Recently, a number of threats have appeared on the social media sites Facebook and Snapchat warning of an upcoming school shooting on the Ukiah High School (UHS) campus on Friday, March 23.
The Ukiah Unified School District and the Ukiah Police Department take these threats very seriously and are actively investigating the posts. “During this ongoing investigation, we have interviewed students both on and off the campus and worked with parents and other community members to determine the origin of these concerns,” Ukiah Police Chief Chris Dewey said.
Investigators have determined that these threats posted on social media sites are not connected to the arrest of a UHS student who brought a pellet gun to school. On Tuesday, March 20, school administrators received a report that a student had pulled out a pellet gun in the classroom. In collaboration with School Resource Officer Tony DeLapo, administrators investigated the matter, verified the information, quickly arrested the student and recovered the pellet gun within hours.
A pellet gun is considered a weapon and not allowed on campus. All reports of any weapons are investigated immediately and thoroughly, according to Dewey. “It is against the law to bring any weapon on campus, including a knife,” Dewey said.
UHS Principal Gordon Oslund said, “An investigation of this type takes top priority. Whatever the situation, we work with law enforcement to make sure students and staff members remain safe.”
Superintendent Deb Kubin said, “Student safety is our highest priority, which is why we have processes and procedures in place to assess any threat to any of our campuses.”
Dewey explained that while investigators and school officials continue to investigate the origin of this threat, UPD immediately increased the police presence and is working with law enforcement partners to ensure everyone’s safety, on and near the schools within the Ukiah Unified School District.
He said, “If at any time during this ongoing investigation into social media threats we receive information we determine to be a credible threat, the Ukiah Unified School District and Ukiah Police Department will close schools to ensure the safety of both students and educators. The Ukiah Unified School District and Ukiah Police Department are committed to investigating each and every lead in this investigation, and we encourage everyone to please contact either a school official or the Ukiah Police Department with any information they may have. The Ukiah Police Department can be contacted at 707-463-6262.”