2 students arrested amid spike in Tucson-area school threats

There were “multiple reports” Friday of threats directed at Tucson-area schools, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said.

Two students were arrested on unspecified charges and criminal investigations have been launched into each threat, the department said Friday in a news release.

It said Tucson police also were investigating campus threats.

No details about the Tucson-area threats were provided, but they come just two days after a shooting that killed four people wounded nine at a Georgia high school outside of Atlanta. A 14-year-old student and his father have been charged in connection with the Georgia case.

Deputies from the department’s school resource unit were dispatched to several Tucson-area schools and “will continue to maintain a heightened presence and security across schools in the county,” the news release said.

It cited Sheriff Chris Nanos’ push to have law enforcement agencies and school districts here collaborate through the nationally accredited Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines. Among its safety strategies, the model helps local agencies strengthen their cross communication.

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No specific schools were mentioned in the local news release. However, parents and staff at Orange Grove Middle School on Friday were notified of a threat made against the campus near East Orange Grove Road and East Skyline Drive.

“We received a report this morning that a threatening message directed at a member of our school community was posted on social media,” said a message from Principal Mark Rubin-Toles. “We always work with law enforcement, and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department has been notified and is currently addressing the situation.”

It went on to say that a deputy would be on the campus Friday.

Earlier this week, a 12-year-old student at Los Niños Elementary, near East Drexel Road and South Alvernon Way, was cited after deputies say he was found to be carrying an unloaded handgun. The student made no threats, the sheriff’s department said.

And just before Labor Day weekend, students at Southgate Academy, a charter school on West Valencia Road near Interstate 19, told students the campus would be closed and classes on Sept. 3 would be held remotely following threats that were posted on social media.

In Friday’s news release, Nanos urged parents to stay vigilant about school safety and to be aware of their children’s online activities.