Vista Murrieta High School Bounces Back After Alleged Threats

Just four days after news broke that two students were arrested in connection with making alleged threats of carrying out violence against students and staff at the school, the campus returned Tuesday for the start of a new school year.

The day went smooth as students filed in after a summer break from the books. This was due to several meetings held with faculty, PTSA and students, Principal Darren Daniel told reporters who visited the campus Tuesday morning.

"There has been no vibe that isn’t positive," Daniel told The Press-Enterprise.

Parents were notified of the alleged threats Friday through automated phone and email messages.

Two 15-year-old boys were in custody on suspicion of conspiring to commit murder at the school when an online message was reported by someone on the East Coast,

The threats were deemed as "serious" and "violent," according to officials, and a date had been planned for the alleged attacks but it was not in the near future.

Giving families the weekend to discuss their feelings about the alleged threats seemed to help, Daniel told The Press-Enterprise.

"There was not one parent expressing concern" about sending their kids to school, he told the newspaper Tuesday.

District officials agreed.

"Everything has gone well," said Karen Parris, spokesperson for the Murrieta Valley Unified School District, who visited not only Vista Murrieta but several other schools throughout the day.

Most students did not let it affect their return to campus, according to another news report by The Californian.

"I haven't heard anything today," senior Angela Garegnani told The Californian. "At first, a lot of people were scared to come to school, but it's calmed down."

Grade-level assemblies focused on school safety were planned this week, according to Parris, who noted the alleged threats would definitely be a topic of discussion.