School and law enforcement officials are investigating a potential threat made at the Marysville Early College High School (ECHS).
Ken Chaffin, ECHS principal, said that about 10:40 a.m. Friday, a school staff member told him that a student had made references to bringing a gun to school.
“I immediately found the student, and we enacted our school safety plan,” Chaffin wrote in an e-mail to parents and staff. “As a part of that plan, we immediately contacted the Marysville Police Department and began our joint investigation.”
In a phone interview, Chaffin said that because of district protocol he could not go into detail about any follow-up with the student,
“We are following the district and building protocols outlined in our code of conduct,” he said.
Chaffin said there is “no evidence or information to suggest that any staff or students are, or were ever in any danger.”
“Because it is part of an ongoing investigation, we really cannot add any more information about the incident,” Chaffin said.
In the e-mail, Chaffin said the district would make parents and staff aware if “additional pertinent information that is important to share should come available as a part of our investigation.”
The principal asked parents to remind students how important to tell “a trusted adult when they hear something or see something that gives them concern.”
“School safety is our number one priority,” Chaffin wrote. “Every staff member and student needs to be safe, but also feel safe.”
He said the incident also serves as a “good opportunity to remind them that there is never a place for jokes or flippant comments around the theme of violence in schools.”
Earlier this month district officials responded to a similar incident. At that time, two students came to a “trusted adult” at the school and said they overheard a student talking about a school shooting.
At the time, officials said they found no reason to suspect the student in question ever intended to harm any other students or faculty.