Rumors Of Gun At Redwood Lead To Mass Absences And A Suspension

Letter to parents led to additional information

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Threats made by student

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By Michelle Alaimo

Based on rumors and with the Littleton, Colo., tragedy still fresh on everyone's minds, nearly one-quarter of Redwood Middle School students stayed home May 7 after the Saratoga Union School District sent home a letter warning parents that a student had heard a rumor that another student was planning to bring a gun to school that day.

Principal Christopher Farmer said the letter led to more students coming forward with more rumors they heard until eventually the seventh grader, who had made a threat that involved bringing a gun to school, was pinpointed.

The boy was suspended May 7 and cannot return to school until the investigation by the school and Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department is complete.

Farmer said he would not know the extent of the boy's punishment until the investigation determines whether the teenager was merely joking or if he really intended to follow through with his threat.

The letter, signed by Farmer and Superintendent Mary Gardner, detailed measures the district was planning on taking to minimize the danger to the school and students.

"We encourage you to talk with your student(s) and encourage them to report rumors or facts they have heard," the letter said. "We guarantee anonymity for any student. ... If you have guns at home, please account for them and ensure students do not have access."

The damage of the rumor and letter had already been done, however. Many parents, acting on the information in the letter, decided to keep their children home without knowing that the student had been identified and suspended. The letter was printed before the suspension had been made.

Farmer said the parents who kept their children home were straightforward about why they would be missing school and that all of those students would receive an excused absence because of the circumstances. Approximately 200 students stayed home out of the 800 who attend Redwood.

The whirlwind of activity began on the afternoon of May 5 after a parent left an anonymous tip stating that her son overheard some children who had overheard some other children talking about a boy who said he would bring a gun to school on May 7.

School and sheriff officials immediately began investigating the rumor but still had no leads by noon on May 6.

"You have to treat every situation as a real situation until you can prove otherwise," Deputy Ron Breuss said.

Based on the rumor, the SUSD board held an emergency board meeting and voted unanimously not to close the school on May 7 but instead to send a letter home detailing what they had heard and how the district planned to ensure student safety.

Superintendent Mary Gardner said that although the district took the rumor seriously, they also did not want the rumor to shut the campus down.

The school was staffed by more than 30 parent volunteers who helped monitor the campus in two-hour shifts. All were clearly identifiable by neon green tags. The sheriff's station had an increased presence with patrol cars and deputies also clearly visible on campus.

Even though the student responsible for all the activity was not on campus, Farmer said the extra adults on campus helped to reassure students that many people were keeping a close eye on them.

Because of the incident, the SUSD is in the process of establishing a hot tip line for students and parents to call in and leave information on anything they have concerns about.

Breuss said he also encourages parents to call the sheriff's department if they hear a rumor of a threatening nature. He said it is important to get as much information as possible and assures that those reporting rumors will be kept anonymous.

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