Colton, CA—With social media threats of a school shooting still being made, and the news of a gun being confiscated on campus last week, Colton High and school district administration took initiative yesterday by holding both a safety-centered Student Forum and “Safety Matters,” a safety presentation for parents and community members.

Both meetings focused on providing information to students and their families, addressing school and district policies, the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders, and solutions that are under consideration. 

However, while the student meeting was held in a packed room in the Rivera MPR, the community meeting only drew 10 concerned attendees. This surprised many in light of the social media response from community members regarding the school shooting threats in recent days.

Everyone has been made aware of the school shooting threats for the past two weeks and Principal John Abbott has made it an effort to explain what has been happening to parents and students.

“This should be a safe space for everyone,” Abbott said.

The Student Forum was attended by student representatives from their second period classes. Abbott led them through a presentation, opened the floor to questions, and took note of student suggestions and feedback.

“Someone talked about how the gates are always unlocked and open so that gives everyone access to walk in,” said junior Savanah Garcia. “Abbott took in everyone’s response and considered possible solutions to every situation.”

Students also used this opportunity to state all their opinions about school safety. Some expressed feelings of complete safety on campus, while others still fear for theirs. This led to looking at solutions to the issue, including ideas like cameras and metal detectors. Students who felt safe on campus countered that when excessive security is added it feels more like a school than a prison.

Senior Luis Ceja was positive about the outcome of the Student Forum. “Some students had given suggestions on safety, with the main one being security. The presentation was a great thing to discuss about and focus on in the school.”

The evening meeting was hosted by Abbott and Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, Dr. Anthony Ortiz. Other members of the district executive cabinet attended, like Superintendent, Dr. Frank Miranda and Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Tina Peterson. School Board member Israel Fuentes was also in attendance along with CJUSD Security Director John Sachs and CHS Security Supervisor Shawn Campa.

Ortiz shared how the district’s Student Services division is organized, their priorities, and how they communicate with the school site. “As soon as we are aware of something, communication goes out on all levels,” said Ortiz.

Abbott outlined Colton High’s safety policies and procedures, including requirements that all staff wear district ID badges and all visitors be registered in the Raptor visitor management system. More safety drills, including those for fire, earthquake, and active shooter, have been scheduled, and there are plans to conduct additional student safety assemblies.

An emphasis was placed at both meetings about what role students and families play in staying safe. Everyone is encouraged to report something immediately to school site staff if they see or hear about anything that could cause a safety concern. A link to “Tip Line,” an anonymous reporting service is available via every site website, however it is not immediately accessible on home pages, which might provide a challenge or frustration for students during an emergency situation.

Parents are encouraged to check in with their children daily and monitor their child’s phone and social media use. One parent mentioned twice that with the limited number of parents present at the meeting, despite the widespread advertisement of the event on Q Communicator, social media, and the Pepper Bough, that this puts even more responsibility on the school to take a proactive role beyond current measures. Another parent, however, was critical of the lack of attendance. “Us as parents,” she said, “we have to take responsibility for being there.”

The event concluded with the promise that as more information is made available regarding the social media threats, it will be shared with the community. An investigation is ongoing and search warrants have been issued, but according to district officials, any further information at this time might be detrimental to the ongoing investigation. 

“We are following all information,” Abbott said.