Parents of students in the Chula Vista Elementary School District, concerned about an email sent Tuesday discussing a perceived threat to schools, received a clarification from the superintendent Wednesday.
Superintendent Francisco Escobedo, Ed.D. said in the email that the district was responding to messages believed to be part of a hoax or prank.
“The District was advised by our law enforcement partners not to provide specifics of this hoax or prank, as that only encourages more of the same,” Escobedo wrote in the email. “The intent of our message was to remind our school community to remain vigilant and report any suspicious behavior to school administrators or law enforcement.”
On Tuesday, some parents reported receiving a message from the superintendent through the Peach Jar communication system. Other parents received the message early Wednesday.
“In this case, perhaps the communication didn’t reach immediately as many people as we wanted, but the basic message is, schools are fine,” said district spokesperson Anthony Millican.
But parents said the letter was so vague, it was alarming.
“I’d like to more about it. What’s going on, some information. The communication is probably on the poor side,” said parent John Vicente.
Local
In that message, the district said recent messages were believed to be aimed at disrupting classes or the operation of schools. It also suggested parents may see increased security measures.
On Wednesday, Escobedo did not detail the changes in security measures but said, “Safety is our top priority. Please be assured that the school district and law enforcement will immediately respond to any real or perceived danger, and communicate accordingly.”
A district spokesperson told NBC 7 the district was caught between a rock and a hard place.
