DPS-Rapid Response Team members and an officer with a K-9 are seen at Francisco M. Sablan Middle School in San Antonio Thursday morning.
School staffers and police officers conduct a security screening of students and visitors at Francisco M. Sablan Middle school on Thursday morning.
LAW enforcement officers have been overseeing security at Francisco M. Sablan Middle School in San Antonio since Tuesday in response to an online threat that was directed at the school on Sept. 11.
On Thursday afternoon, police responded to another threat, this time at Chacha Ocean View Middle School in Kagman.
Sgt. Fred Sato, Department of Public Safety public information officer, said the threat to COVMS was made by phone. No other details from DPS were available as of press time Thursday evening.
The Public School System, for its part, issued the following statement:
“Earlier this afternoon, Chacha Ocean View Middle School received information on social media regarding a possible threat to ‘bomb the school.’
“Students were evacuated to the designated safe zone and the Department of Public Safety was called immediately to investigate the situation and provide direct assistance.
“At 4:51 p.m., DPS and COVMS gave all-clear signal. We will continue to cooperate with DPS as they pursue the investigation.
“All students and staff are safe at this time. Classes remain in operation tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, and law enforcement will be present to provide additional security and reassurance to the COVMS community.
“The PSS and COVMS administration take the safety of our students, staff, and stakeholders very seriously, and we continue to ensure that we uphold this priority.
“We thank you stakeholders and community partners for their patience, assistance, and cooperation.
“For the most up-to-date accurate information, follow PSS’ official social media pages on Facebook (CNM Public School System), Instagram(@cnmipss), and twitter/X (@cnmi_pss).”
Rapid response
At FMS Middle School, police officers, Criminal Investigation Division investigators, Rapid Response Team members, a K-9 Unit and Federal Bureau of Investigation agents were among the law enforcement personnel on and around the campus.
On Thursday, police officers and teachers at FMSMS screened students and checked their bags for any suspicious materials that could pose a threat to the safety of students, staff and parents.
Police officers and a K-9 unit also conducted random vehicle screening.
A teacher and a parent at FMSMS, Meena Manglona said, “I’m glad DPS is taking the threat seriously. They are providing extra manpower and security assistance to the school.”
She asked other parents to closely monitor their children’s online presence.
“Please take some time to talk to your children about…what they say on social media, where they say it, and to whom they share it with. This is a big offense, obviously, and we are getting a lot of people involved in the situation. As a community we can be more vigilant in keeping our kids educated in the social media aspect of this, and the threats… should just stop!”
Another concerned parent who asked not to be identified said, “Good to see that DPS is addressing [the threat] and not taking it lightly.”
For her part, FMSMS Principal Cherlyn Osung expressed her appreciation to DPS for helping to keep the campus safe.
“We take all threats seriously, and the partnership with DPS makes our students, parents and staff feel very supported and safe to come to school — we’re hoping this ends soon,” Osung said.
On Sept. 12, FMSMS initiated its “Shelter in Place” emergency procedure following a threat on social media directed at the school regarding “shootout September.”
Osung said, “We’ve seen three threats posted online; one was taken down. Right now all the information we have is with the investigators. We’re letting them do their part to investigate.”
As far as she knows, this is the first online threat that the school received in the last five years.
“One of the words used was ‘shooting.’ … We thought that was very serious, so we brought it up to our authorities,” she added.
She said police presence will continue “until DPS determines that there is no longer a threat.”
Cathy Asera-Cabrera, the school’s acting vice principal, said, “Police presence is good, the students have peace of mind as well as parents and teachers. DPS really went full force with the threat that was brought [to] our attention, and DPS means business. And this is not just for the safety of the school but also for the community.”
DPS-Criminal Investigation Division investigators, an FBI agent, FMSMS school Principal Cherlyn Osung and acting Vice Principal Cathy Aseras-Cabrera — partly hidden — confer on Thursday morning.
DPS-Criminal Investigation Division investigators and an FBI agent confer with FMSMS Principal Cherlyn Osung and acting Vice Principal Cathy Aseras-Cabrera on campus, Thursday morning while school staffers and police officers conduct a security screening of students and visitors.
