Palo Alto police have solved the mystery of who left a message in a girls' bathroom threatening to bomb Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School, the department said on Wednesday.
Investigators identified a student as the source of a bomb threat, which was written on a bathroom stall and found on Tuesday, following a joint investigation between law enforcement and the school. JLS school officials are now handling the case administratively, the police department said in a press release.
The incident began on Tuesday after a female student found writings scrawled on a stall inside the girls' bathroom indicating that the author intended to bomb the school. The alleged bombing was to take place on Wednesday during the school day. The student immediately reported the discovery to staff, who notified police.
Investigators collaborated with school administration officials to identify the student responsible for leaving the message. Police said they are confident they have identified the source of the threat as a student at the school. The joint investigation determined the threat was not credible.
Officers were on-site at the school on Wednesday throughout the day until the incident was resolved, the department said.
Superintendent Don Austin told this news organization on Tuesday that the school day should feel relatively normal for students on Wednesday, but that there would be police on campus and that additional measures were being taken behind the scenes to protect students and staff. Austin declined to give details, citing the ongoing investigation, but said that authorities had already collected information that they would be following up on.
After police announced the case was resolved, Austin shared the following statement in a text message: "We are all thankful that we were able to resolve this quickly and that it was a hoax."
On Wednesday, the district issued a statement noting its collaboration with police.
"PAUSD appreciates all individuals who contributed help and time to resolve this matter. Counselors are still available for and mindful of student needs. Students are encouraged to contact school counselors should they desire to do so," the district said.
Police praised the student who initially came forward to report the incident and other students who cooperated and assisted with the investigation.
"Their actions are consistent with the common mantra of 'If you see something, say something.' Any other students who may have more information about this threat or the person who wrote it should immediately tell a trusted adult or notify police," the department said.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the police 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to [email protected] or sent by text message or voicemail to 650-383-8984.
Comments
Registered user
Old Palo Alto
on Jan 10, 2023 at 5:58 pm
Registered user
on Jan 10, 2023 at 5:58 pm
Might see if anyone is hoping to miss a Wednesday test?
Registered user
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Jan 11, 2023 at 9:30 am
Registered user
on Jan 11, 2023 at 9:30 am
Whoever heard anyone with a real intention to bomb anything to warn by leaving a message scribbled on a bathroom wall?
Bored teenager in boring January. It has to be taken seriously of course, but a real warning would be done some other way.
Registered user
College Terrace
on Jan 11, 2023 at 3:50 pm
Registered user
on Jan 11, 2023 at 3:50 pm
If you see something, say something.
Unless it's something an administrator or teacher is doing?
Registered user
JLS Middle School
on Jan 11, 2023 at 6:31 pm
Registered user
on Jan 11, 2023 at 6:31 pm
Even if the police said the bomb threat was planned by a student and was a hoax, I believe the school should've been responsible enough to evacuate the students and staff out of the JLS building until the bomb squad and police find the evidence to identify the JLS student, or announce a day off of school (for student and staff safetey reasons). And if the bomb was NOT a hoax, anyone in the school campus building could've been injured or died because no one was told to leave or evacuate from the school building.
This is just my opinion as a JLS student, because when I attended school on Wednsday, January 11, I could easily tell many of the students and staff were worried about the bomb threat and their lives.
Registered user
another community
on Jan 12, 2023 at 4:52 am
Registered user
on Jan 12, 2023 at 4:52 am
Whats going on over there in Palo Alto?
It's like they never had any problems like this ever in its History of having Teenagers.
But the reality is. They've always had them, but never dealt with them properly.
Daddy/Mommy always bailing them out and the City allowing them, by them donating
to their favorite Charity.
Registered user
another community
on Jan 12, 2023 at 9:27 am
Registered user
on Jan 12, 2023 at 9:27 am
Bomb threats should be taken seriously whether you think it's a hoax or not. A threat written on a bathroom wall in middle school may sound like a prank, but you never know what is going on in the troubled mind of someone who would even think of doing this. A bomb threat is not a normal prank. Typical pranks are silly, and this is very serious.
Registered user
Old Palo Alto
on Jan 12, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Registered user
on Jan 12, 2023 at 12:00 pm
This shows me that our issues for supportive services is so lacking, there is a deep trust in our teens. The deep fear and trauma is very much a distillery of negative behaviors from our youth. In an odd sense this child in pain, did "see something and said something" on a wall. A cry for help in dark times. Why public school bathrooms are not monitored by school personnel is beyond my scope of understanding. Easy before and after school, after brunch and lunch. A few years ago, as a parent on site, I was passing the girls bathroom just after the lunch bell rang. I heard a young girl sobbing in a stall. I spoke to the unseen student from the hallway "Is there anything I can do? Are you okay? Can I get you some help?" Too often school campus' bathrooms are a incubator for all types of unmonitored mis-behavior... I need not spell out what those behaviors are. The school justification for not monitoring the BR's. "We are not allowed by law to have cameras there." Our eyes and ears are the best way to intervene, mitigate, prevent, help.