On Oct. 1, 2021, Los Altos High School classes were dismissed mid-day due to receiving a bomb threat. Then, on Oct. 5th, Presentation High School and St. Francis High School also received bomb threats. The San Jose Police department reports that the St. Francis and Presentation threats were both called in by the same number; however, it has not been confirmed whether or not these events are linked to the Los Altos High School threat.

In all cases, schools worked quickly to evacuate students. Upon receiving the threats, school administrators alerted the police and brought all students to sports fields and nearby parks to ensure safety. After standing outside for multiple hours, Los Altos High School canceled class for the remainder of the day and dismissed students one by one after receiving verbal permission from students’ guardians. However, students had to leave all of their belongings in their classes and weren’t able to collect them until after the weekend.

“It was really scary because we’ve never had to do anything like that before,” LAHS junior Veena Bhat said.

These schools have made an effort to heighten campus security since the threats, including having police search the classrooms alongside their patrol dogs. LAHS junior Maya Yung reports seeing helicopters fly above the school but is unsure whether or not they were correlated to the bomb threat.

Having bomb threats on school sites destroys the integrity of the campuses. Schools should be a place where students feel safe and protected. Students should not need to be worrying about bomb threats on their way to classes.

“We take these incidents seriously, and we are grateful that there was ultimately no threat to students or staff,” Mountain View police chief Chris Hsiung said in an interview with CBS. “Schools can and should always be a safe place for all.”

LAHS has implemented a wellness check forum to make sure that students are doing okay after the threat.

“They are making sure everyone’s voice is being heard,” Bhat said.