Security was stepped up and attendance was dramatically down at Raymond Cree Middle School Wednesday, one day after a student allegedly posted a bomb threat on social media targeting the campus.
Palm Springs police said they were notified by school staff at 2:50 p.m. Tuesday about an online post that "included a bomb threat that was to occur at the school on" Wednesday.
School staff gave officers the name of a person of interest, and police contacted at 13-year-old boy, but as of Wednesday morning, they had not yet confirmed that he was the one responsible for the post and he had not been arrested, Palm Springs Police Department Sgt. Mike Casavan said.
The boy's parents are cooperating with investigators, police said.
Because of the threat, school officials ordered additional law enforcement presence on and near the campus Wednesday, said Palm Springs Unified School District spokeswoman Joan Boiko.
Boiko said increased law enforcement would be likely for the rest of the week until the culprit was officially identified. Authorities said attendance at the school on Wednesday was down about 55%.
Word of the threat on Tuesday came just hours after a 17-year-old senior attending Palm Springs High School was arrested in connection with a separate social media post that authorities say depicted a handgun and threats of a shooting.
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Palm Springs police said the post targeting Raymond Cree may have been "a copycat type threat," but all such threats are thoroughly investigated.
Anybody with information regarding either incident is urged to contact the Palm Springs Police Department at 760-327-1441.
