Security measures were heightened at Eastlake High School in Chula Vista Monday in response to a ninth grade student’s Twitter warning of a school shooting – a threat later determined to have been a hoax, officials said.
In a statement on the school’s website, Principal Maria Esther Lizarraga said school officials were alerted to the threat involving a student on Saturday and had since been working with police. Authorities have launched an investigation and contacted the student’s family.
The 14-year-old boy responsible for the tweeted hoax was asked not to attend classes Monday.
“At Eastlake High School, we take (the) safety and security of our students very seriously and we assure you that we will do all we can to maintain a safe and secure campus,” Lizarraga said.
She added that a school resource officer from the Chula Vista Police Department would be at Eastlake High School today along with additional security personnel.
Chula Vista police Lt. Don Redmond told U-T San Diego that there was no indication the student would have carried out the threat to “shoot up a school.”
– City News Service