Colton High School has experienced a case of deja vu. On September 1st we had yet another shooting scare. A note was found scribbled on the wall of the restroom saying someone was going to shoot up the school.

Principal Joda Murphy was immediately apprised of the threat. “The first thing that came into my mind when I was notified was we need to follow protocol, and contact the police,” she said. The one thing she said she had to do was notify people of the potential violence. Later that night a Teleparent message was sent out to parents advising them of the situation.

Colton High School has a team used to help determine the severity of the threat; according to Murphy, this team is responsible for determining if the threat is credible or not. In this case it was determined it wasn’t; however, they still took precautions. As seen on campus the security team was constantly patrolling the area looking and watching for suspicious activity or signs of a possible threat.

The day the shooting was supposed to occur the staff was on heightened security, and the Colton police department was standing by and patrolling the school grounds.

The staff is well prepared for any emergency. Murphy says, “Our staff is educated, and are shown videos on how to deescalate a situation, our security goes through training on how to deal with an active shooter, and Campus Superviser Jared Compa and Assistant Principal Victor Schiro are constantly attending training on how to deal with an active shooter.”  

How can students help? Murphy says,  “As students we ask you to report any suspicious activity and watch for anything that could pose a threat and report it.” Colton High School was thankfully able to escape a possible dangerous situation.