Coachella Valley strengthening school safety efforts amid growing nationwide threats
With increasing school shooting threats across the nation — Coachella Valley schools, law enforcement agencies and other organizations are ramping up security measures and mental health support to ensure student safety.
Recently, Riverside County Sheriff's deputies arrested a 17-year-old from Cathedral City accused of a school violence threat posted online.
In a statement to News Channel 3 Riverside County Sheriff's Office shared the number of school violence threat calls its handled since 2020.
2020 – 19
2021 – 54
2022 – 189
2023 – 303
2024 – 153 (through September 1)
*Be advised they do not include numbers for the cities that have their own police departments within the Riverside County.
To strengthen school safety efforts amid increasing nationwide threats, Danielle McClain, Palm Springs Unified School District Mental Health Coordinator, said the district refers back to its variety of mental health services.
"Every student has access to social emotional learning resources," McClain said. "We have school counselors on on all of the campuses. We also have wellness centers on a number of our campuses where students can drop in if they just need some time out during the day."
Ben Guitron said the department will act immediately on school threats.
"Every single threat or information that we receive is always going to be looked into," Guitron said.
Stay with News Channel 3 to hear how administrators, law enforcement and mental health professionals are working together to address the challenges posed by these threats.
