Police Investigate Written Threat at Palo Alto High School

Published on April 25, 2023

Palo Alto, CA – A written threat of violence posted on a classroom door prompted a shelter-in-place this morning at Palo Alto High School.  Police are actively investigating.

On Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at about 8:57 a.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call from administrators at Palo Alto High School at 50 Embarcadero Road reporting a suspicious circumstance.  A teacher had arrived at school that morning and discovered a written threat of violence taped to the front door of the classroom.  The threat indicated that the person who left the note intended to “shoot up” the classroom later that morning.  It should be noted that a final examination was scheduled to occur later that morning in that same classroom.

Police worked in close collaboration with school administrators, who opted to place the campus into a shelter-in-place status as a precaution while the investigation unfolded.  At the conclusion of the investigation, school officials lifted the shelter-in-place at about 10:30 a.m.  Officers are actively investigating the incident; it is possible that once a suspect is identified that person could face criminal charges.

Police will have officers on or near the campus for the remainder of the school day to help students and staff feel safe and secure.

As always, police encourage anyone who has information about a possible threat to immediately contact our 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413.  Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984.  Prompt notifications to law enforcement can help directly contribute to maintaining a safe environment for everyone.