Lockdown on School Campuses

On Monday, April 9, Cold Spring School and Montecito Union School campuses were both placed on lockdown for a short time after both schools’ superintendents received an email that threatened students’ safety. It was quickly determined that the email was a hoax, and it had been received by several school districts throughout the state including three additional school districts in Santa Barbara County. 

According to the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department, the email appears to be part of a prank that originated out of the United Kingdom, and detectives worked closely with the FBI to determine that the email, which detailed injuring students with bombs, a gun, and knives, was not a credible threat. Operating out of an abundance of caution, Sheriff’s deputies patrolled the campuses to ensure student safety, and the lockdowns were lifted. 

“We take these types of things very seriously, and employed our full safety protocols from the start,” said Dr. Anthony Ranii, superintendent at Montecito Union School. Those protocols include using a public-address system to ask every student and staff member to “shelter in place,” which means that students and staff members go inside, pull all the blinds, and do not leave. An automated door-lock system is then triggered to lock down the campus. Teachers ensure all students are accounted for, and facilities and administrative staff check all areas of campus to account for every student.