SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - Students are back in school at Del Norte High School Thursday after a threat was posted online. School officials are now working with the San Diego Police Department to track down the person responsible.
San Diego police officers were on scene at the high school Thursday morning and they were expected to be there for the rest of the day. According to the district, the officers searched all student backpacks as a precaution. During their search, no weapons were found.
The threat was made Wednesday around 8 p.m. on an app called Burnbook. The post said:
"I'm off my meds and I've had enough. I AM BRINGING MY DADS AR15 TO SCHOOL TOMORROW AND KILLING ALL YOU ***** WHO'VE BEEN CALLING ME ****."
The Burnbook app allows users to post anonymously. So now the district is working with police to determine who posted the threat. District representatives say they have contacted the makers of the app to try and identify the suspect.
Parents were notified about the threat Wednesday night. The principal confirmed that some parents kept their kids home from school Thursday due to the threat. It's finals day at Del Norte High School, so those students will have to make up the tests.
As of this report, it's not known who posted the threat. However, CBS News 8 spoke with the spokesperson for the Poway School District Thursday morning, and she had this message for students:
“I would want to tell students nothing is anonymous. These small things that seem to be jokes actually can impact you for the rest of your life. Threats are considered felonies and the SDPD will absolutely prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.” ~ Jessica Wakefield - Poway School District.
CBS News 8 also obtained a copy of the letter sent home to parents Wednesday night from the school's principal, Greg Mizel:
"This evening we were notified of a threat of violence to the Del Norte campus posted on BurnBook. Our school takes every threat of violence extremely seriously and immediately contacted the San Diego Police Department. SDPD, DNHS staff and PUSD staff do not believe this to be a credible threat. However, we are working with the police this evening to identify the person responsible for this post. Once found, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. If you have any information about the identity of the person responsible, please contact SDPD.
After consulting with SDPD and the District, we are continuing with our regularly-scheduled school day tomorrow. Please be aware we will have police officers present on campus. Students and staff are safe at school.
We want to remind our students and families that threats are a serious matter. Threats are considered a felony, a crime punishable by imprisonment. In addition to criminal punishment, students who make threats will be referred for expulsion from school."
Police officers will be on campus all day Thursday and possibly Friday, as a precaution. If you have any information that might help identify the suspect in this case, you're asked to contact the San Diego Police Department.
Del Norte High School is located in the 4S Ranch community and is part of the Poway Unified School District.