Beaumont, CA - Today, the Beaumont Police Department was notified of incidents at two school sites within the Beaumont Unified School District. One incident at an elementary school involved a student bringing a pellet gun to the school. The incident was immediately reported to school administrators who requested the assistance of the Beaumont Police Department. Officers spoke to the student and parents and determined there had been no threat to students or staff on the campus. The pellet gun was confiscated from the student and any disciplinary action will be handled by school administrators.
The second incident involved an alleged rumor of a school shooting to occur on the last day of school. Administrators immediately contacted the Beaumont Police Department School Resource Officer (SRO) on campus. An investigation was completed, and a Student Threat Assessment and Response (STAR) Protocol was conducted at the student’s home. It was determined the report was unfounded.
When events like Uvalde, Texas, occur on a national level, understandably, we see an increase in concerns at our local school sites. Oftentimes these events spur rumors and reports of planned shootings on school campuses, especially via social media. This further adds to the anxiety our community is feeling. We ask our community, parents, and students to directly report their concerns to school officials or law enforcement rather than posting on social media. This will assist officers in being able to quickly determine the source of any threats, as well as more efficiently provide resources to determine the validity of those threats.
We work closely with the Beaumont Unified School District on these matters. For the last several years the Beaumont Police Department has been part of a committee with District Administrators who meet regularly to discuss security concerns on school campuses, as well as provide training and education to our staff, students, and parents on how to respond to critical incidents. Today, considering yesterday’s event, there has been an increased presence of officers to reassure staff, students, parents, and community that Beaumont PD and Beaumont Unified have a shared commitment to keep our school community safe.
Please also take this opportunity to have a conversation with your children about the importance of being vigilant and reporting something of concern to appropriate staff and law enforcement. “If you see something, say something”, together we can work to ensure the safety of both our students and community.