School Shooting Threat Averted
By John Earp
Last Thursday, a 13-year-old student at Jal Junior High School was reported to have made a shooting threat to other students at the school. One student who had knowledge of the incident (and who will also remain anonymous) said the boy said, “I wouldn’t come to school Monday if I were you.” The threatening student also was characterized as having made odd and delusional statements in the recent past at school.
According to the joint statement by the Jal P0lice Department and Jal Public Schools, which was released last Friday and sent to all parents, “Jal Public School District and the Jal Police Department are committed to ensuring the safety and security of all students, staff, and the community.
Yesterday, the District was informed of a potential threat involving the high school campus and their students. The site principal responded immediately to these potential threats by addressing the potential source of those threats, isolating the threat from the rest of the high school’s student population, and promptly notifying the District’s School Resource Officer. The School Resource Officer responded quickly to initiate discussions and implement all established safety protocols and procedures.
As a result of this swift and coordinated response, the potential threat has been appropriately addressed and all District campuses are deemed safe for our students to return. At this time, the Jal Police Department believes this is an isolated incident and that there is no ongoing threat to students or staff. The District wants to thank all of our staff and students for following our District procedures in response to this threat. In addition, the District would like to offer gratitude to the Jal Police Department for their cooperation and collaboration during this response.
Out of an abundance of caution, the Jal Police Department will continue to thoroughly investigate this matter and will maintain an increased police presence around Jal Public Schools. Likewise, the District’s school administration, principals, teachers, and all staff will continue to exercise heightened awareness to ensure a safe learning environment for all.
We take any potential threat to our schools and community very seriously. The safety of our students and staff remains our highest priority.
The District will continue to support and cooperate with the ongoing police investigation. For any questions or concerns, or if you have information that can aid in the police investigation, please contact:
Chief Mauricio Valeriano, Chief of Police, Jal Police Department”
The Jal Police Department noted that the student was in custody and had been sent to Lea County Juvenile Detention Center, with the case being referred to federal authorities for possible adoption of the case. By Wednesday the 22nd, Chief Mauricio Valeriano informed The Jal Record that the juvenile offender had been released to parental custody by the judge. Principal Buddy Little informed The Jal Record Wednesday afternoon that the student had “disenrolled” from Jal Schools. Superintendent Brian Snider reiterated by phone Tuesday that the safety of all students and staff at Jal Schools was the highest priority.