On Thursday, November 9th at 9:58 a.m., a code yellow was announced over the intercom, two minutes before the end of 4th period. Adele and Prestwood were also put into lockdown due to their proximity to the high school. According to Brandon Cutting, Sonoma Police Chief, the threat was deemed credible because of its specificity.
Molly Kiss, principal, received the threat via email at 9:55 from an anonymous user. The email stated that a student would arrive at SVHS at 12 pm with a rifle. After receiving the threat, Ms. Kiss called the code yellow and then notified local authorities. Students and teachers remained in their classrooms until further notice. SWAT officials and officers arrived on campus to investigate the situation. As of 11:22, there was a helicopter flying overhead and there were six cops surrounding the front of the school, one near the tennis courts, and one by Nathanson Creek. Sherriff Officers and other county personnel were called to campus to secure and survey the borders. Police helicopters were deployed around 11:20 am, surveying the campus aerially.
Some students expressed concerns after emails were sent to all teachers explaining that armed police officials would come into classrooms to search bags. Students reacted to the announcement, worried they would be caught with contraband during the searches, through Snapchat stories. Officials did not end up searching bags. However, SWAT officials accompanied by sheriff or police walked into classrooms and searched classrooms for weapons, with some officials deploying bomb dogs to target specific areas.
A student was tackled and detained by police while attempting to leave class during the lockdown, his apprehension being unrelated to the threat. Police investigating the threat took students out of the K-Building to perform interviews.
A Nixle alert was sent to surrounding areas by the Sonoma County Sheriff, alerting them to avoid the area until further notice. During the lockdown, a substantial number of parents had gathered across from the school on Broadway, fearful for students’ safety.
As the lockdown continued, teachers began setting up emergency buckets for students to use as a bathroom. Some were in separate rooms attached to classrooms or closets, and some were in the corner of classrooms, blocked with tarps, tablecloths, or blankets for privacy.
Food was delivered to students at the beginning of the lockdown based on health concerns and later delivered only to classrooms “cleared” by SWAT around 2 pm.
All students were dismissed at 2:55, regular dismissal time, after every building had been searched by SWAT and declared safe. The campus was secured by police, sheriff, and firefighters as students went home.
Investigations surrounding the source of the threat have been turned over to the FBI, who have not publically announced a resolution as of November 29th.
