Following a 14-year-old student’s arrest last week for allegedly making terrorist threats against other students, Garrett Junior High School is strictly enforcing safety measures recently put into place.
“We can only hope we don’t ever have to deal with anything like this in the future, and we continue to ask the parents and community to talk to their children about appropriate behaviors, social awareness and looking out for one another,” said Principal Jamey Hood. “We are a family community, and we all want our students and staff to be safe at school each and every day.”
Before the incident, a new secure door was installed in the front entryway of the building. Additionally, since the start of the school year, the south courtyard doors are shut down at 7:55 a.m., and the front door then remains open to the front office only.
On Tuesday, April 24, police arrested a 14-year-old male student after receiving an anonymous 911 call about him the night before.
According to the police department’s dispatch report, the student was allegedly threatening to shoot people the next day at the school, possibly during an assembly in the cafeteria. He was also telling people close to him not come to school the next day. The person who called in the tip heard about it through Snapchat.
Boulder City Police Commander Brent Speyer said the department started investigating the call and had enough probable cause to arrest the student within 24 hours.
He was charged with making threats concerning acts of terrorism against other students, not against the school itself, according to Boulder City spokesperson Sue Manteris.
Speyer said the student was booked into juvenile hall. He would not comment on whether more students had been arrested. He said he couldn’t release any more details because the case was still being investigated.
On Wednesday, Manteris said the police department’s report had been completed and forwarded to the District Attorney’s office.
“They will decided what can be released,” she said. “We will stay in touch with them, however, and try to get as much released as we are able.”
When situations like this happen at a school, Hood said she follows the protocol specified by the Clark County School District.
“There are progressive steps for student infractions,” she said. “We chose to call law enforcement and move forward aggressively per district discipline.”
She also said safety is a top priority.
“We are always concerned for the safety of all of our students and staff,” she said. “We remind staff and students to be vigilant and report any inappropriate behaviors or concerns to adults on campus.”
She said parents were notified of the situation several times, despite some reporting on social media that they had not.
“With Infinite Campus and ParentLink, the two systems that connect contacts and messages, families need to update regularly when numbers are added or changed,” she said. “Messages were sent out Tuesday morning, evening and Wednesday morning.”
For those who did not receive a notification, she encouraged them to make sure their information in Infinite Campus is up to date.