Both school and police officials say they did not release
information for nearly four days about the suspected attack
”
scenario
”
at San Benito High School because they wanted to ensure they had
all the information accurate before doing so, while the teachers’
union president confirmed there have been concerns on the staff
about lacking communication.
Both school and police officials say they did not release information for nearly four days about the suspected attack “scenario” at San Benito High School because they wanted to ensure they had all the information accurate before doing so, while the teachers’ union president confirmed there have been concerns on the staff about lacking communication.
Hollister police first received the report from a “concerned classmate” Jan. 25, last Monday, and later that day arrested two students, ages 14 and 15, with one of them suspected of possessing explosive powder, a knife and writings indicating intentions to buy firearms and possibly attack the campus. Police informed the media about the arrests Friday, while school officials to that point had not informed the staff or parents of the situation.
San Benito’s union President Mitch Huerta said he first heard about the students’ arrests Friday when the story appeared on media Web sites.
“There’s been no official communication from the district to the employees on what happened or why teachers weren’t notified,” Huerta said this morning.
He said he had heard from a few teachers and students saying they would have preferred being informed about it earlier. He contended it would have been helpful so that staff members could have had guidelines for dealing with students if the issue came up on campus before it went public.
“There are going to be teachers who feel it would have been nice if they notified us,” he said.
Superintendent Stan Rose this morning said the district has sent a notice to parents based on information known through the weekend, and he said there have been “a few” parents showing concern.
“And we’ve tried to allay their concerns about the school not having been in any danger and so forth,” he said, noting how school officials appreciate the police department’s efforts.
He said school officials “feel pretty comfortable and confident” the campus was not in any “imminent danger,” and he believes the concern level from parents was elevated due to inaccurate conclusions being made about the information.
School officials decided to hold off on informing staff, students and parents “just to be sure what we were going to be talking about and whether it was the right thing to do, to be in touch with parents. He said saying something false could “make things worse.”
Police department spokesman Sgt. David Westrick also said police wanted to ensure “all the information is accurate” before releasing the allegations.
