Morgan Hill Police arrested an Ann Sobrato High School student in connection with a suspicious note found on campus March 13.
MHPD, along with assistance from Morgan Hill Unified School District officials, “immediately responded to the school to investigate a written message located a day after it was written,” according to MHPD Sgt. Troy Hoefling. “A team of officers were on site throughout the investigation. A student was identified, arrested and booked into the Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall.”
MHPD did not identify the student in a March 14 press release announcing an arrest had been made.
“MHPD will not tolerate any threats that jeopardize the safety of our children and schools,” Hoefling said. “We will investigate all threats immediately and methodically and hold the offenders accountable for their actions. The safety of our Students and Staff is our top concern.”
Immediately following the March 13 incident, MHUSD sent an email out to parents notifying them of what occurred and that there was “no credible threat” to Sobrato student.
“This morning , one of our students found a note indicating a possible threat to campus. MHPD was called and quick to respond as well as the District Office team,” said Sobrato Principal Courtney Macko in that March 13 email. “After a comprehensive investigation, MHPD determined that there is no credible threat against Sobrato High School.”
Hoefling later confirmed that local officers determined the note did not indicate a credible threat.
Macko’s message asks parents “to work with us in stressing to children the seriousness of making threats” and also stresses that law enforcement and the district “take safety concerns and threats very seriously.” There are also “school and legal consequences” for those who make such threats, the email warns.
“Even the act of repeating or reposting a threat or possible threat may result in that individual facing school, state or federal consequences and legal prosecution,” wrote Macko, noting that there have been “similar non-credible threats” made throughout the country since the Feb. 14 mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
“Unfortunately, these events are needlessly interrupting the education environment of our schools and distracting law enforcement from their core responsibilities of protecting our students and keeping our campus community safe,” she said.
In her message to parents, Macko also thanked the “courageous student” who alerted Sobrato staff to the note that had been circulating among peers.
“The bravery it takes to tell an adult when a fellow student is not acting in the communities’ best interest is commendable and should not be lost in the significance of the situation,” Macko said.
The incident at Sobrato High School was unrelated to a March 13 police investigation of a home for possible bomb-making materials on McLaughlin Court, according to authorities.
