School Superintendent explains student’s scary joke

A letter from Charles Young, Sonoma Valley Unified School District Interim Superintendent

Dear Sonoma Valley Unified Families,

In the wake of the Florida shooting tragedy last week, our students and community are understandably concerned for their safety. Student safety remains Sonoma Valley Unified School District’s (SVUSD) highest priority. Any report of a threat, anonymous or direct, is taken seriously and immediately investigated.

Currently, rumors are circulating via social media and person-to-person that a student at Sonoma Valley High School had made threats to “shoot up” the school. These rumors appear to be associated with an incident that occurred in January 2018.

At that time, a group of students was joking about the upcoming Silent Dance. Students were saying how “lame” it was going to be and generally making fun of the dance. Unfortunately, one of those students posted a picture of a sign for the dance with a caption referencing genocide.

The student was immediately brought to the office and a thorough investigation was done which included law enforcement. The student was suspended and the sheriff searched the student’s home for weapons. There were none. The student explained that he was just joking but realized how inappropriate it was and wrote a subsequent apology for the concern that he caused. The District Attorney was even involved and dismissed the charges as they were not deemed to be a credible terroristic threat.

We understand that fears are heightened at the moment so I want to confirm that there has not been any viable threat to harm students at SVUSD. The January 2018 incident involved a student’s very poor attempt to make a joke, and the student was appropriately disciplined, and is remorseful for the poor choice.

I conclude by assuring you that the District and staff at all schools will continue to be vigilant, and investigate all rumors or reports of threats. If you have any concerns regarding the safety of students at SVUSD, please contact the principal of your child’s school.