SAN MATEO – A student at Borel Middle School in San Mateo will not return to campus following a report Saturday that they were viewing images of weapons and a list of student names on their laptop computer, according to the San Mateo-Foster City School District.
The San Mateo Police Department on Sunday confirmed that the student did not have access to weapons, the district said in a letter to the school community Tuesday afternoon.
“The student in question will not be returning to the school this year or next year,” the district said. The student’s name was not disclosed.
The district also did not disclose the names of the students on the list, but said meetings were held with each student and their parents.
The report follows a number of recent high-profile mass shootings across the country, including one in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 students and two teachers dead.
“Our school district and other school districts across the country are grappling with these types of incidents,” the district said.
The district said it has strong protocols in place and the necessary resources to keep students safe on campus.
“The protocols in place allowed for the district to act quickly and in a coordinated manner,” the district said.
To that end, five district administrators were dispatched to the campus Monday morning.
They conducted more than 30 interviews and learned that “many students at Borel Middle School knew for months that their peer was researching and discussing school shootings,” the district said. The students did not share that information with adults.
“We plan to provide in-class lessons to students next school year that directly address this pattern of ‘remaining silent,’ ” the district said.
Police officers will be present at the campus Wednesday, the final day of the school year, the district said.
Check back for updates.
Source: www.mercurynews.com