Menlo-Atherton High School on lockdown for two hours

In response to what Atherton Police Chief Steve McCulley labeled a “swatting call,” Atherton police initiated a lockdown at Menlo-Atherton High School on Tuesday afternoon (April 6). “We couldn’t take any chances given the 100 or so students on campus,” he told InMenlo. “The caller said he was prepared to ‘shoot up the school.'”

According to 911.gov, swatting is a false report to 911 and other emergency services aimed at getting authorities to send a SWAT team to a location ‘where no emergency exists.’

This was the students second day back on campus which has been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The call came at 2:08 pm, wrote Principal Simone Rick-Kennel in an email, explaining:

“We received a phone call with a concerning and direct threat to the school so followed our protocols to lockdown as a precaution. `Our School Resource Officer and Atherton Police Department, in coordination with Menlo Park Police Department and the Sheriff’s Office, were able to secure the campus and ensure the safety of our students and the school community.

“We are grateful for their responsiveness and the quick action of the Menlo-Atherton administrative assistants and administration team. We did have students and staff who were on campus for 0 period or athletics. They were released safely and their parents were contacted.

“This is not exactly how we wanted to return to school, but our preparedness for situations like these kept everybody safe.”