Española Valley, Pojoaque Valley high schools see police action
The potential for disaster in the 12-mile stretch between Española and Pojoaque hit home as rumors of potential school shootings crossed the cell signals and police scanners of Rio Arriba and Santa Fe county sheriff’s offices, Española City Police and New Mexico State Police last week.
Pojoaque Valley High School and Española Valley High School, Sept. 5 and 7 respectively, were each subjected to potential threats both to students and staff as the reality was raised of either a student-led plot to cause harm and an alleged active shooter respectively.
The drama began Sept. 5 as Pojoaque Valley announced, according to a brief on the school’s website, that police would be present on campus for the remainder of the week as an investigation into a possible threat to the High School was underway. The School’s annual training and infrastructure for the possibility of an active shooter, allowed for Head of Security and Transportation Gary Johnson, Superintendent Dr. Melville Morgan and School Principal Jennifer Baca to address the potential threat quickly and quietly.
School Board President John Paul Romero praised Johnson, Baca, Morgan and law enforcement for how they handled the incident.
“It was handled very diligently,” Romero said. “It was brought to our attention before the Labor Day holiday. We have an excellent security staff and our director Gary Johnson, who is a former sheriff. It was dealt with so there wasn’t a big disruption at the school so that we didn’t have to go into a lock down mode. Another student conveyed the information to Johnson, and it was handled immediately.”
Initially, it had been one student that was believed to be involved in the “planning” process of a threat, but then information came to light through an anonymous student tip to Johnson that more students may have been involved. Johnson said three students are suspected, but one felt comfortable enough to come forward and divulge some information that led to the detaining of the suspected students.
Johnson immediately, in accordance with the protocols set in place in Pojoaque Valley School District, contacted Morgan and law enforcement who arrived on the scene and the suspected students were immediately pulled out of class, and their guardians were contacted.
“I am very fortunate as a retired law enforcement officer myself to have really strong relationships with other law enforcement leaders in our community,” Johnson said. “We have worked really hard over the past several years to forge those relationships.”
Johnson said he communicates well with law enforcement and whenever there is a concern in the public schools, they quickly address it and send resources.
Johnson would not give specifics of the incident citing a pending investigation into the matter, but said there was a great deal of information sharing and collaboration between law enforcement and the District.
“Ultimately our goal here is the well being of all our students,” he said. “We certainly take every threat serious, and every threat, and we’re talking about protocols, is taken serious and in partnership with law enforcement, and is quickly investigated.”
Santa Fe Sheriff’s Public Relations Officer Juan Rios confirmed the collaborative relationship between the District and law enforcement.
“We were called out to address a possible threat at Pojoaque High School involving some students,” Rios said. “We sent a deputy out to make initial contact and look at the situation.”
In Española
While things settled in Pojoaque, law enforcement in the Española Valley became involved in another possible threat at Española Valley High School two days later, Morgan received a report that a possible active shooter was loose inside of the High School. Morgan quickly notified Española Public School Superintendent Bobbie Gutierrez of the threat as well as law enforcement and the School, and other schools in the Valley, went immediately on lock down.
A Pojoaque Valley High School teacher received news from her child, an Española Valley High School student, who reported they overhead another student discussing the possibilities of what they would do in a shooting scenario. That parent passed word to Morgan, who made the call to authorities.
“We got a call that there was an active shooter on campus,” Rio Arriba County Sheriff James Lujan said. “It hadn’t been confirmed, so we took it as yes there was, and we will continue to take it as yes there was, because we are not going to take any chances. State Police, Española Police and Criminal Investigation Division of the State Police were all on scene to assist us, along with the fire department and paramedics just in case something happened. We were able to locate the source of the threat and detain him.”
The High School was put on a full lock down, and the student, a high school boy (no age was given by authorities)and detained in the principal’s office to be questioned by authorities. The lock down was lifted when the student was detained and put on a “shelter in place” so the scene could be controlled before students were allowed to leave or be transported home.
“This was more of a precautionary thing than anything,” Lujan said. “But it is always better to be safe than sorry.”
During the initial investigation on Sept. 7, it was discovered the student in question did not have a weapon on his person or on campus. It appears to have been a student talking in terms of a hypothetical. Española Police Officer Danny Pacheco was on the scene and highlighted the importance of continued active shooter planning and training.
“We need to have a tighter plan, it is important for all agencies to know the lay out of the school from front and back.” Pacheco said. “All departments should have a map and a plan so when we get here we can lay out our plan, boom, boom, boom.”
Pacheco said a protocol exists, but needs constant improvement, as the type of active shooter changes. Situations differ and change and law enforcement must be prepared to stay ahead of those changes.
Gutierrez praised law enforcement, administration and security staff in ending the situations quickly and without incident, but stressed the importance of taking every potential threat seriously.
“I cannot emphasize enough to our students and their families that we must take all threats, talk of threats or perceived threats seriously,” Gutierrez said. “As any threat or perceived threat to a school and in bringing harm to others in punishable by law. We will continue to work with students at the High School to emphasize the seriousness of such actions as well as encourage our students to report such concerns in the event they feel threatened or afraid of comments related to school violence made by classmates.”