Niguel Hills Middle School Receives Anonymous Threat Friday

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA —The Niguel Hills Middle School went on "shelter in place" Friday, following an "anonymous phone call saying there was going to be a threat on campus, officials said.

At 9:25 a.m. Niguel Middle School "received a phone call, concerning enough that he alerted the Orange County Sheriff's Department," OCSD spokeswoman Carrie Braun told Patch. Deputies responded immediately, showing a strong presence on area streets, and in the air, as Duke circled the school's perimeter. The school was cleared by 10:05 a.m., Braun said, and no threat was found.

According to Braun, the helicopter was already up, and did a perimeter flyby during the "shelter in place."

There was no direct threat to the campus at any time, she said.
Students were pulled in from outside, and taken into their classrooms with their teachers, where instruction "took place as normal," Niguel Hills Principal Tim Reece said.
Parents were advised over text message to stay away from the school until the event was over. Many waited just outside of the perimeter and checked students out from school early.

The call was believed to be in response to the events from Thursday when a mother appeared in her daughter's classroom and discussed her thoughts on the bullying she says her daughter has received at the hand of some students.

The mother has been disallowed from returning to campus, after her event.

Children "have been disciplined for the event," according to Ryan Burris, spokesperson for the Capistrano Unified School District. Burris declined to comment on the exact measures, specifically whether there have been suspensions due to the released video from campus.

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