Alleged Online Threat Against School Unsubstantiated

A post threatening Mission Hills High School was seen by a student on BurnBook.com and is now being investigated by officials

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department said a post found by a student online that allegedly made threats of violence toward Mission Hills High School (MHHS) in San Marcos was unsubstantiated. 

Officials said the possible internet threat – which was posted at approximately 10 p.m. Tuesday – was discovered by a MHHS student on the website BurnBook.com at around 10 p.m. Tuesday. 

The student was alarmed by the post, which officials said may have made unspecific threats towards the high school and indicated that the person posting the message was building a firearm. 

Sheriff's officials said their investigation lead them to find the student did not have access to firearms and there was no threat to the safety of the school. 

The student who saw the post alerted a parent who then reported the incident to the sheriff’s department.

On Wednesday morning, officials said deputies were working closely with the Mission Hills High School administration to investigate the person responsible for the online post.

The Sheriff’s department is also working with the BurnBook website and forensic IT specialists to identify the IP address of the poster. Officials said the website currently does not timestamp user posts or list user IP addresses.

As a precaution, deputies provided additional law enforcement staff at Mission Hills High School Wednesday. The school also sent a message to parents regarding the incident.

The case is under investigation and anyone with information should contact the sheriff’s department at (858) 565-5200. 

Officials have not decided whether or not criminal charges or administrative action by the school will be taken. 

BurnBook is a social media website where users can anonymously post short messages about seemingly anything. The main page currently states this about the website: “Development in progress. Limited functionality. 100% anonymous.”

The user terms and conditions section says the content submitted is “pure opinion and is not actionable” and also states: “This content is submitted with no malice toward the person/s and organization/s mentioned in my submission.”

The term “Burn Book” was popularized by the 2004 teen comedy “Mean Girls.” In the film, a “Burn Book” is a journal created by a clique of mean girls to spread rumors and lies about their high school peers.
 

Contact Us