UPDATE: Principal 'Encourages All Students to Attend School' As School, Police Increase Security

Updated on March 14 at 5:29 a.m.:

Foothill High School Principal John Dwyer sent out an email last night at 6:46 p.m. to parents of students at the school. Police were spotted on and around the high school campus throughout the day yesterday.

[Related post: Foothill High Threat: Will You Keep Your Child Out of School?]

Dear Foothill families,

We know you're all eager for an update on the situation regarding threatening language in graffiti found in a Foothill campus bathroom on Tuesday, March 12.

We held a staff meeting Wednesday morning with school district staff and Pleasanton police department officials. Superintendent Parvin Ahmadi and Captain Craig Eicher addressed staff, committed resources to our school and discussed the plan we have in place to deal with this situation.

Pleasanton police are providing a greater police presence on campus and will conduct additional patrols and regular visits to campus, in
addition to the standard school resource officer presence on campus. The school district is providing additional campus supervisors and custodians to maintain a high level of vigilance and security. Teachers have reviewed lock-down procedures and are locking classroom doors during the day as a precautionary measure.

Throughout the day Wednesday, teachers spoke with students about this issue and reminded them to let a responsible adult know if they know about anything that might present a safety or security risk to the campus. Teachers also discussed the district's 24-hour anonymous tip line. Counselors were on hand to support students feeling anxious and are available for students who need support. Administrators continued working with police to investigate the issue.

We understand the concerns. We encourage all students to attend school. As a community, we are working to maintain as normal a day as possible. We are very pleased and reassured by the response of staff and students to this situation and know that the resources the school district and police department have brought to bear are making a positive difference in our school safety and security.

Thank you for your support.

John Dwyer Principal

Updated 6:20 p.m.: The Pleasanton Unified School District sent a general message to all parents Wednesday night addressing their concerns about the threat made against Foothill High School on Tuesday.

The district's recorded messaged acknowledged that parents are concerned about safety at other schools and assured them that "Pleasanton is a wonderful and safe community, and we take the protection of our students very seriously," the message states.

The recording states that security is also being increased at other schools throughout the district.

Updated 1:49 p.m.: Pleasanton Unified School District spokeswoman Nicole Steward told local news sources Wednesday that so far a handful of parents told the school they plan to keep their children home Thursday in response to a shooting threat written on a girls' bathroom wall Tuesday.

 "We certainly aren't encouraging that; we believe campus will be
safe tomorrow," she told Bay City News Service.

Police have interviewed several students who posted the photos of the threat
online and others they believe may have information about the message.

"We know someone out there knows something, and we just want them to come forward," Steward said, adding that the student who wrote the message will not necessarily be punished.

 "Our biggest concern, honestly, is the safety of that student," she said. "We want to make sure the student has the services they need and obviously we need to determine how serious the threat might be."

11:13 a.m. update — Foothill High issued the following update to the community in an e-mail:

Yesterday afternoon graffiti was discovered in one of the girls' bathrooms at Foothill High School. Because this graffiti included a possible threat toward the school, the Pleasanton Police Department (PPD) is investigating this incident along with school & district officials.

The graffiti has been photographed by students and posted on social media so there are rumors circulating. We want to assure all Foothill students and families that appropriate precautions are being taken to ensure a safe and secure campus for all students, including additional police presence for the remainder of the week.  PPD has increased patrols around Foothill and in the community.

If you or your student has any information about the source of this graffiti, please contact the school as soon as possible. Information can be provided anonymously:

PUSD Anonymous Tip Line 925-417-5199

Pleasanton Police Non-Emergency number 925-931-5100.

Thank you for your support & concern for all PUSD students.

10:07 a.m. update.: Foothill High held a meeting with all teachers and staff Wednesday morning to brief them on the shooting threat discovered written on a girls' bathroom wall on Tuesday, according to the Pleasanton School District.

The staff discussed how to share information in their classes throughout the day. 

7:45 a.m. update: The television crews were camped out at Foothill High before dawn in response to Tuesday's news of a shooting threat.

Posted Tuesday evening: Extra police officers will be patrolling the Foothill High School campus this week in response to a shooting threat written on the wall of a girls' bathroom, Principal John Dwyer said in an email sent Tuesday to Foothill families.

In the email, Dwyer said, "We assure all Foothill students and families that appropriate precautions are being taken to ensure a safe and secure campus for all students." The text of the email was also sent out via a phone message.

The threat, which was discovered Tuesday, appears to have been written with a black marker. It said: "I (expletive) hate everyone at this school!!! Watch me shoot everyone on March 14! I swear to God!!!!"

Pleasanton police were not immediately available for comment.

On Twitter, many Foothill High students said they were not going to go to school on Thursday.

One student tweeted, "Umm yeah no school for me Thursday #thanksbutnothanks."

Another tweeted, "Even if they get swat, fbi, CIA, marines, army, navy and everybody else at foothill I ain't feelin safe."

Here is principal Dwyer's full email:

Dear Foothill families,

This afternoon, we discovered graffiti in one of the girls bathrooms. Because this graffiti included a possible threat toward the school, the Pleasanton police department is working with school officials to  investigate this incident.

The graffiti has been photographed by students and posted on social media, so there are rumors circulating. We assure all Foothill students and families that appropriate precautions are being taken to ensure a safe and secure campus for all students, including additional police presence for the remainder of the week.

If you or your student has any information about the source of this graffiti, please contact the school as soon as possible. Information can be provided anonymously.

Thank you for your support,

John Dwyer  Principal