Students, staff and faculty at West County High School (WCHS) are safe and sound after a rumor that a student had a gun led Sebastopol police and the school administration to lock down the campus Thursday morning, Sept. 9.
Sebastopol Police Chief Kevin Kilgore said the school administrators called the Sebastopol Police Department (SPD) at about 11:15 a.m. reporting secondhand information students provided that a student may have a handgun. The police arrived within minutes and, ultimately, no weapon was seen or found.
“Based on the investigation at this time, there was no threat to any student, staff or faculty. No firearm was located and no injuries were reported,” Kilgore said. “There was no report of someone seen with a gun.”
California Highway Patrol and the Cotati and Santa Rosa police departments sent officers to assist SPD on campus.
School administrators began to lift the lockdown after no threat or activity warranting a shutdown had been found around 12:30 p.m.
Classes then resumed, but students and parents had the option to head home early if they chose, WCHS Principal Shauna Ferdinandson said. School will continue Sept. 10 but with a greater law enforcement presence “out of an abundance of caution.”
WCHS student Yocelin Ramirez talked about her experience during the lockdown while she waited to get picked up from school on Sept. 9.
The announcement came in, the doors were locked and anyone sitting near a window or door had to move to the other side, she said, but they didn’t move their chairs or desks.
“We just turned off the lights and put on a movie and the teacher turned on the AC really loudly,” Ramirez said, adding the AC was turned on before the film. She said she assumed this was to cover any noises.
“I did get kind of shaky and I had a classmate who went to a corner and she really did have a panic attack, but the other kids, they were just talking and socializing and everyone just went on their phones,” she said. “And Snapchat was where everyone was carrying the news, and because I didn’t have it, I had to be asking the kids what’s going on.”
Her teacher did not seem to know what was happening either, she said. According to Ramirez, a lot of misinformation spread through social media. “There was so much conversation about a gun, then there was about a knife, then there was talk about drugs being flushed, and then there was talk about a kid who already was on probation and there was so much misinformation that to you just couldn’t keep straight what everyone was saying.”
After speaking with students who informed the school there was talk of student gun possession, the school administration and the police reached the student named in the rumor “without incident” on campus, Kilgore said. The student gave information to the officials and his consent for his belongings to be searched, and no weapon was found, stated the police chief.
“There’s no concern that there’s a continued threat and the investigation is ongoing to see if there’s anything else that needs to be done in this investigation, but right now, this person is not believed to be a threat, nor is believed to have made any threats,” Kilgore said.
According to Kilgore, current information does not suggest Thursday’s rumor triggering a lockdown is connected to the shooting threat posted to Instagram on Monday evening, Sept. 6.
The Instagram post at the beginning of the school week involved a shooting threat, while Thursday’s incident involved a report that someone possessed a firearm and students did not say they saw a gun firsthand, he said. The person named in the Instagram threat is also not the same person named in the rumor, the police chief said.
Toni Beal, superintendent of the West Sonoma County Union High School District (WSCUHSD), voiced her appreciation for the police’s quick response and to school staff for taking action to carry out safety protocols in place during the lockdown.
Ferdinandson said the high school takes any potential threat seriously and showed gratitude that students stepped forward to share critical information with teachers and adults they trust. “Our students did exactly what they were supposed to do. They heard something, so they said something,” she said.
The ongoing investigation could find out whether a criminal violation has occurred and the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office would decide whether any charges will be filed, Kilgore said. The police do not determine whether charges are filed and any proceedings and regulations within the high school would be handled by the school administration, not police.
Ferdinandson said the school has rarely needed to activate its protocols to keep the school safe in situations like this, and while she wished the incident never happened, she was glad for how the school community handled the incident.
“In any type of situation like this, it’s always important that students, staff and faculty report things in a timely manner and our students did just that,” Kilgore said.
Kilgore said the investigation continues and requested anyone with information on the situation call SPD at 707-829-4400 in connection to report #21-0599.
Beal stated the school has more counselors this year who will be available for students who need that support after the Thursday lockdown.
