Ferndale High School student arrested after alleged school shooting threat

A 14-year-old male student was arrested Monday after allegedly threatening to shoot his classmates at Ferndale High School, according to a press release sent today from the Ferndale Police Department.

On Monday evening, two different parents called the police to warn of a school shooting threat. The parents said their sons said that during school on Monday a fellow teenage student told them “they should not go to school on Wednesday and that he was going to shoot it up,” the release states.

Several other students heard the comment and were interviewed, corroborating the report, according to the release.

Around 9 p.m., the male student, who was not identified, was contacted by police at his house, where he admitted to making the comment. The student was arrested and booked into the Whatcom County Juvenile Detention center on suspicion of threats to bomb or injure property, according to the release.

The teenager didn’t have immediate access to weapons, but there were firearms stored in a safe in the family home, the release states.

Police believe the student was acting alone and that other students weren’t involved. It’s unknown why the student made the threat or if he had plans to carry it out, the release states.

It’s unknown whether the teenager had prior discipline records with the school district, but Ferndale police have not had previous contact with him, according to an email from Riley Sweeney, Ferndale’s communications officer. Ferndale police will provide an enhanced presence at the high school this week in response to the threat, Sweeney said.

A note from the school district was sent to parents, staff and other community members Tuesday morning about the incident, according to an email from Erin Vincent, communications coordinator for the school district.

Ferndale schools Superintendent Linda Quinn said in a phone interview that the district is always working to improve communication with students and parents. Quinn said last year, the district received a strong response in how they let parents know about potential school threats. It became clear the community wants to know what the district knows as soon as possible, which they’ve been trying to do this year, Quinn said.

“When it comes to school safety, our community is telling us that they don’t want a filter – they want information. We know this goes a long way in helping staff, families, and our community feel safe at school. Ultimately, that is our goal,” Quinn said in an emailed statement. “We want to teach our students to report threats. We want to encourage our parents to report threats. We want to support law enforcement as they investigate. Although we wish we did not have to this kind of news to report, we can step back today and say that the system worked the way it was supposed to.”

This story was originally published October 23, 2018 at 11:40 AM.