‘Very troubling.’ Third Sacramento-area school locked down on Wednesday

River City High School students were sent home early Wednesday after an anonymous caller claimed there was a shooting threat toward the West Sacramento campus.

The River City High campus on Raider Lane was placed on lockdown in response to the alleged threat, which was “unsubstantiated” and being investigated by the West Sacramento Police Department, the Washington Unified School District announced about 1:40 p.m. in a Facebook post.

The students on campus were sent home about 1:45 p.m. under the supervision of law enforcement officials. District officials said River City High students normally picked up at the campus would be picked up at the nearby Target store parking lot.

School buses were provided to all students as normal at that time. Students who normally walk or ride bikes to school were urged to go directly home, according to the school district. All on-campus after-school activities and extracurricular activities were canceled.

School staff received the call from the unknown person claiming there was a shooting threat toward the campus. School staff immediately contacted West Sacramento police.

“The lockdown is a precautionary measure in accordance with our school safety plan,” district officials wrote in the Facebook post. “This means that no one is allowed to enter or exit the campus until the WSPD has concluded its investigation and determined it is safe to do so.”

Sacramento-area parents describe ‘nerve-wracking’ wait during a school lockdown

The school district told parents not to go to the campus Wednesday afternoon and officials said they would keep parents updated as soon as they know more.

“Though very troubling to hear, please take some slight comfort in knowing that all our students are safe and know that we handle any threat against our school safety with the utmost urgency,” district officials said in the Facebook post, which was also shared on the River City High and West Sacramento police Facebook pages.

On Wednesday evening, school district officials said the day was “filled with unexpected challenges, fear and angst” as school staff worked together through the River City High lockdown. They said the alleged threat remained unsubstantiated.

“There are several stories circulating regionally and nationally regarding similar threats being directed at schools,” Washington Unified said in a 5:12 p.m Facebook post.

Police officers responded immediately and worked with River City staff to search the campus, implementing school safety protocols “and making sure all students and staff were safe while on campus and during supervised dismissal. The source of the threat is under investigation by the West Sacramento Police Department,” district officials said.

On Thursday, there will be additional social workers and outreach staff available at River City High to support educators, staff and students, according to the district.

John F. Kennedy High School in Sacramento also was placed on lockdown as a precaution Wednesday afternoon. A parent on campus was behaving aggressively toward a school staff member, which prompted the lockdown that was lifted shortly after, according to the Sacramento City Unified School District.

The Sacramento Police Department said the incident at Kennedy High was reported as a fight and a disturbance about 12:15 p.m. Wednesday. A few police officers remained on campus to help school administrators investigate the reported fight. District officials said the situation was de-escalated, no arrests were made and school operations returned to normal.

Another high school in Sacramento County was placed on lockdown Wednesday. A social media post or posts threatening violence at “JHS” or “IHS” on Wednesday went viral online, putting high schools starting with those letters across the country on high alert, including Jesuit High School in Carmichael.

Jesuit High administrators said they do not believe there was a specific threat and that the campus would remain open with added patrols from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.