Down the road in Moreno Valley, a sophomore has been arrested for spreading rumors that someone was going to start shooting on that campus. In Riverside and San Bernardino counties since March 5, more than a dozen students have been arrested for threatening violence. The principal of Valley View, where the rumors took place, said he hopes the arrest will serve as a deterrent for others who might consider trafficking in such nonsense. We are not going to tolerate the spread of false rumors. Good luck, Principal Williams.
Schools breed and nurture rumors like summer breeds and nurtures fireflies.
Now El Cajon is awash in them, and they are difficult to catch and disprove, leaving students, teachers, parents and administrators groping in the dark. I have no idea if Thursday was a typical post-Santana day. Experts tell us school is statistically safer than it used to be. Maybe we journalists are just reporting it more. Maybe everyone has grown callous.