Numerous articles began circulating on Monday evening claiming that a credible, planned shooting threat caused M-A to go into Secure Campus on Sept. 10. The articles cite a press release by Sandy Hook Promise (SHP), stating that their anonymous tip line helped prevent a school shooting at M-A. However, statements released by the District, M-A Principal Karl Losekoot, and the Atherton Police Department said the threat to students was exaggerated and crucial facts were incorrect.
Authorities were alerted of the threat via a message to the District’s anonymous tip line run by SHP. In the press release, SHP Co-founder and CEO Nicole Hockley said the tip, submitted by the suspect’s friend, referenced an Instagram post containing “images of firearms, ammunition, and a mapped-out plan for attacking the school.”
Junior Kayla Aboytes saw similar claims on Instagram. “They had everything planned out, like where they were gonna go first. If that person hadn’t reported it, we could have gotten really hurt. That was just crazy,” Aboytes said.
“It’s just crazy because something really could have happened that was worse,” junior Junior Evaimalo said, who also got his information from Instagram.
“District officials and law enforcement confirmed there was access to a weapon and plan of an attack,” Hockley claimed in a video posted to SHP’s Instagram. “That’s now the 19th credible planned school shooting prevented.”
However, according to a press release from the Atherton Police Department, which is currently conducting an investigation into the incident, “[the] post contained an image of ammunition magazines—there were no firearms depicted.” They also reported that no weapons were found and emphasized that “at no time has there been an ongoing threat to the public.”
Given that the suspect is a minor, information about their arrest and any time in custody is usually confidential, with few exceptions. Sometimes, with direct authorization from a court order or a parent or guardian’s consent, the police can make a detained minor’s information public. Currently, the investigation is ongoing, and most of the suspect’s personal and arrest information are not available to the public. The Almanac reported that the suspect was detained on Sept. 10 and placed in a medical facility for psychiatric reasons.
Despite contradicting statements from the Atherton Police Department, national news outlets like Good Morning America, The Mercury News, and NBC News reported that a credible school shooting had been stopped and a gun had been retrieved.
“I wish that ABC didn’t run false information. I wish I didn’t get calls from my relatives about if I’m okay. The thought of it, of course, is just terrifying, but it’s also a daily reality for teachers,” the anonymous teacher said.
In a ParentSquare message sent to parents Tuesday morning, Losekoot wrote, “We do not know where ABC News is getting its information, but it is inconsistent with what we know.”
“A threat was made toward M-A, a threat that was serious for sure, but also one that did not involve an immediate attack or threat of an imminent attack. If details were present to reveal such immediacy, we would have moved into a lockdown procedure,” he added.
SHP’s press release claims M-A went into “lockdown,” however, the school was actually placed under Secure Campus. This procedure, which is less severe than a lockdown, occurs when there is a threat of potential violence near campus and allows for continued instruction.
On Tuesday afternoon, Superintendent Crystal Leach sent out a clarification via ParentSquare correcting information from the ABC7 News story. “ABC7 News did a story on the Secure Campus, prompted by a release of information from Sandy Hook Promise that we were not informed about, and, unfortunately, ABC’s story included incorrect and incomplete information,” she wrote.
Though Losekoot has communicated with families multiple times since the incident, Leach’s message is the first communication from the District to families regarding the Secure Campus on Sept. 10.
At a District board meeting that day, the Board condemned political influencer Charlie Kirk’s assassination, but did not acknowledge the Secure Campus enacted at M-A and Carlmont.
“They could have at least told the students. They probably didn’t want us to panic, but it could’ve been worse if we didn’t know,” Evaimalo said.
This is not the first time online posts have raised concerns of gun violence at M-A. In April 2018, students and staff were placed on lockdown following a Facebook photo of an M-A student holding a gun in what appeared to be an M-A bathroom. While rumors of guns being held on campus and a planned attack circulated, it was later determined that the photo had been taken weeks prior in a restaurant bathroom, and no threat was being posed to the school.
Then, during the 2022-23 school year, there were two separate incidents where a student was arrested for bringing a loaded gun to school. The school received word of the gun’s presence on campus through SHP’s anonymous tip line.
If you have any information regarding the Sept. 10 threat, please contact the Atherton Police Department or submit a tip to M-A’s anonymous tip line.
