On Monday, March 12, 2018, students reported overhearing a vague threat of violence to Taft Union High School. The school took this threat of violence to the district community seriously and worked with law enforcement to ensure the safety and security of  TUHS. An email that was sent out to parents, students, and staff stated, “This is our top priority.” The source of the vague threat was identified and law enforcement had begun investigating at that moment. As a result, school proceeded throughout the day as normal. The person of interest was questioned by the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. The Kern County Sheriff’s Office also determined that the school, students and staff were not in any danger at that point in time.

Reports of the involvement of three other students making threats were unsubstantiated. Many parents/guardians picked their students up from the school out of fear for their safety due to the potential threat. The situation was diffused thanks to the help of both fellow students and staff members who were able to calm the school-wide hysteria as a significant number of students left campus when nervous parents and students received word of the threat.

At the board meeting that was also held on Monday, school board members were thankful for the emails that were sent out keeping them and the community updated on the situation. President of the Board John Kopp had this to say, “As a parent here at Taft High, I got a ton of phone calls, emails, and text messages all day long…except it was from Taft High informing me and keeping me informed of what was going on here and I would like to say how thankful I am.”