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Police investigate threat against high school

Sahuarita police are investigating a threat a student made against Sahuarita's Walden Grove High School.
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Sahuarita police are investigating a threat a student made against Sahuarita's Walden Grove High School.

Last week, a student made a verbal threat of harming other students and while authorities do not consider it substantive, they are taking it seriously. 
 
Suzette Moreno - parent of a freshman and senior at the high school says Sahuarita Unified School District didn't handle the situation well. 
 
Moreno says, she's "frustrated, mad and concerned." Adding, "There's a lot of children that have been picked up today and there are a lot of parents really concerned."
 
According, Assistant Superintendent Brett Bonner tells KGUN 9 that the district followed protocol and had an internal investigation. "We addressed the situation because it was an individual student matter and we dealt with it internally at the site level."
 
But parents were outraged - They say they found out about the incident through social media and it wasn't until they expressed their frustrations that the district responded. 
 
Bonner says, the district felt the need to respond because their were many false stories. Adding,"The district felt as appropriate to generate a letter that was specific, clear, accurate as to what took place at the same time not violating the students confidentiality."
 
The freshman student is still enrolled at the high school, He was arrested and charged with making a threat and disrupting an educational institution.

Police will remain at the school throughout the day.

Here is the text of the letter, dated Dec. 12:

Dear Parents/Guardians: As you may know, there was a verbal threat made to Walden Grove High School. This was an individual student matter. Appropriate school and law enforcement interventions have been implemented. Sahuarita Police Department was notified and an investigation has occurred. At this time, all investigative leads suggest there are no substantive threats besides the original verbal threat. Rumors of a weapon being confiscated are untrue. Incidents such as this are quite challenging for schools, staff, students and parents; however, we must take every threat seriously. The school resource officer continues to provide support, visibility and guidance as needed. We thank you for your patience. Parents, please support us by having a conversation with your child regarding the consequences of making threats towards students, staff or to the school. Students should understand that making a school threat is a serious matter with serious consequences. Please let students know that if they make a threat of any kind, they are subject to school discipline as well as potential involvement of law enforcement.

In addition, please encourage your child to report anything that may be construed as bullying, intimidation, harassment or other threats of violence to any adult on campus. Thank you for your cooperation in helping us to eliminate this type of negative behavior. Together we can work to ensure Sahuarita Unified School District schools are safe places for teaching and learning.

Respectfully,

Brett K. Bonner Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services Sahuarita Unified School District Amber Woods Director of Community Outreach Sahuarita Unified School District

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