GILROY
– Students returning to the high school campus this morning will
find support, should they want to talk about last Friday’s
three-hour lockdown in response to a threat against a teacher.
GILROY – Students returning to the high school campus this morning will find support, should they want to talk about last Friday’s three-hour lockdown in response to a threat against a teacher.
“We will have some psychologists and counselors available for kids (today),” said Linda Piceno, assistant superintendent of human resources who was leading the district in Superintendent Edwin Diaz’s absence Friday. “We don’t anticipate at this point they’ll be needed, but they’re there just in case.”
Gilroy High School and district administrators began drafting an informational letter to all district parents even before a three-hour lockdown ended at 12:30 p.m. Friday.
Three 17-year-old GHS students were arrested later Friday afternoon after one of the students, apparently a female masking her voice, called 9-1-1 and threatened to shoot a teacher.
After the lockdown was lifted, some students returned to class while most exited the campus. Meanwhile, school officials met to plan their response to the incident.
All students who stayed on campus received a letter to their parents explaining the reason for the lockdown – someone claiming to have a weapon threatened a GHS teacher – and explaining the school’s desire to keep students safe.
Gilroy Unified School District Safety Officer Roger Cornia said the letter was to go home with students across GUSD, since they had likely heard about the situation. The message from Superintendent Edwin Diaz also filled the e-mail in-boxes of parents who subscribe to the GHS online bulletin.
A voice message describing the lockdown also was sent to GHS parents Friday evening.
Some 1,376 families received a second recorded message because those students were absent after the lockdown was lifted. Assistant Principle Mani Corzo said only 786 of the school’s 2,162 students went back to class Friday afternoon. They have five days to excuse the absence.
Having just returned to campus as the lockdown ended Friday, Principal Bob Bravo said the school’s senior prom, held Saturday night, would go on as planned.
“This is totally unconnected, we think, with anything to do with prom safety issues,” he said.
San Jose police provided security for the dance, held at the Hayes Mansion in San Jose, and Assistant Principal Joni Madolora said Monday morning the event went smoothly.
