Law enforcement, PSUSD reassure parents and students following school threats
Gavin Nguyen
DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Parents and students are concerned after a number of school threats have been made to PSUSD schools in recent days.
Several emails and phone calls were made into the KESQ Newsroom after posts on social media began circulating online on Wednesday about violence that would occur on Thursday at Desert Springs Middle School in Desert Hot Springs.
The Desert Hot Springs Police Department released a statement Thursday night and deemed the threat was not credible. The department said it will maintain an increased police presence on Friday out of an abundance of caution.
Palm Springs Unified School District reassured parents with several district emails and messages after the threat was deemed to be fake by investigators. Since the threat was first discovered, the district said it sent five messages to parents, acknowledging anxiety & fear over recent violence.
The most recent district update came at 4:35 p.m. on Friday:
Hello PSUSD Families!As we get ready for our weekend, it has become a happier Friday. Thanks to the diligence of the Desert Hot Springs Police Department, working in collaboration with our District security team and administrators, the author of recent threatening social media posts has been identified as a juvenile. In an abundance of caution, police and security presence around DHS schools will continue in the upcoming days.
We are grateful to our law enforcement partners and District security team for their dedication and commitment to keeping our scholars and staff safe and working together to bring this incident to resolution. We also want you to know that PSUSD has a zero tolerance for behavior that threatens the safety of our scholars, and the person(s) responsible for this incident will face the most severe disciplinary and legal consequences allowed,
I want to thank you all again for your continued support, understanding and confidence in us. Please hug your children and give them reassurance that their safety comes first and all of us at PSUSD are committed to providing a safe learning environment each and every day.
I wish you all a relaxing and peaceful weekend!
Sincerely,Marcus Funchess, Ed.D.Superintendent of Schools
Thursday’s threat comes after another phone threat was called into Palm Springs High School last week, which was also deemed to not be a credible threat.
Dr. Funchess said if parents or their students discover an online threat like the one on Thursday, they should remain calm. He encouraged parents to first speak with their children and help them stay calm, and if possible, get more information on where the threat came from.
Parents should also reach out to law enforcement, the school, or the district to inform them of the threat. They can call those places directly, or use the district’s reporting system called “Sprigeo.”
“Do you have a message for parents or students who might be a little bit scared to be going to school right now?” News Channel 3 asked the superintendent.
“Number one, I understand as a father first and a superintendent second, I understand those fears and anxieties, but I give you my 100% word that it is our job, our number one priority, and our goal to keep your scholar safe in our school district,” Dr. Funchess replied. “And that’s what we are working at and that’s what we will continue to do, working with our law enforcement professionals and working with you as our parents by communicating, receiving information from you and doing our job well.”