Nonprofit Tipped Police About Possible Threat. Did It Stop A School Shooting?

ATHERTON, CA — When Atherton police located a minor who was accused of posting a threat against his former high school, the Sandy Hook Promise nonprofit thought its tip line had helped prevent a school shooting in the Bay Area.

The nonprofit said a former student of Menlo-Atherton High School had posted a picture online with guns and that the Atherton Police Department found weapons in the student's home.

But the Atherton Police Department and Sequoia Union School District officials on Tuesday said the nonprofit may have exaggerated the threat.

Students at Menlo-Atherton High School went on secure campus status on Sept. 10, as officers investigated the tip that a former student had posted a picture of ammunition magazines and a map of the campus, according to authorities.

The former student was located by police and taken to the station, according to school officials. No weapons were found at their home, they added.

"The individual making the threat included a map of M-A, but the threat did not express any sense of immediacy or an impending timeline," school district officials said in a statement Tuesday.

Atherton police also said in a statement that there was no ongoing threat to the public at any point during the investigation.

The Sandy Hook Promise lauded its tip line, saying online that it helped stop a school shooting in the Bay Area.

"The student recognized the warning signs among a peer’s Instagram posts, took them seriously, and acted immediately to report the threats," the nonprofit said in a statement. "This set off a swift chain of events that ultimately saved lives."

Although authorities say the Sandy Hook Promise may have overstated the danger, school officials expressed gratitude to the nonprofit for their proactive approach in preventing violence at schools around the country.

"Nothing is more important to us than keeping our students and staff safe. In the wake of violence at other schools around the country, we take our responsibility to put prevention measures in place extremely seriously," school district officials said. "Sandy Hook Promise has been a vital partner in helping our students and staff recognize warning signs of potential violence."

The Sandy Hook Promise was created following the mass shooting at the school of the same name in Connecticut. Started by parents whose children were killed in the shooting, the nonprofit tries to help prevent shootings in schools, while highlighting a need for federal funding to support programs that teach people the warning signs of violence.