Parents were frightened when a Jan. 13 threat made to the Rancho Buena Vista High School campus put their children in danger, and they were outraged to learn about a month later that the person who called the threat in was a school staffer.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department announced the arrest of 52-year-old Alma Cacho on Thursday. Calcho, a longtime staff member of Vista Unified School District, is accused of making the anonymous threat that prompted the school to be placed on a “secure campus” status.
Students and staff members had to stay indoors until sheriff’s deputies swept the campus and determined it was safe and classes could resume.
District parents are notified of any threats to the school through an app, but they say these days they receive so many notifications it's hard to know when they should be worried.
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“At this point, I don’t know how to react, to be honest with you, because it’s been one right after another. So, it’s like, is this a drill? Is this for real?” said parent Cristina Perez, who has a senior and sophomore at the high school.
Regardless, most parents say they are happy the school takes each threat seriously.
“I think it’s important that we do know and just in case, as parents, we do always need to be notified,” said Angela Rodriguez.
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Cacho made the threat through an app that disguised her location, according to San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
“It’s disappointing, the fact that a staff member is the one that’s involved with the whole situation, just putting the kids through a scenario that’s unnecessary,” Perez said. “Now I hope they take proper action towards it, either suspending her or firing her. I’m not too sure what the next procedure is from here, but I would expect something to come out of it.”
“I mean it’s one thing for a kid to do it. I mean it’s just terrible as that is to make a threat, but for a staff member to make a threat, if she was disgruntled or what happened, but what kind of example does that set even for the kids?” Rodriguez said.
NBC 7 reached out to the school district to find out if any disciplinary action had been taken against Cacho, but the district offices were closed on Friday.
Cacho is set to be arraigned March 7, and until then, the District Attorney’s office said they can’t give any details on the charges.
