Bomb Threat Written in Middle School Bathroom Resolved

Published on January 11, 2023

Palo Alto, CA – A student has been identified as the source of a bomb threat written on a bathroom stall at a middle school, following a joint investigation between law enforcement and school officials.  School officials are now handling the matter administratively.

On Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at about 11:24 a.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call from the administrators at Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School at 480 East Meadow Drive reporting a suspicious circumstance.  The investigation that a student had found writings scrawled on a stall inside a girls’ bathroom indicating that the author intended to bomb the school on Wednesday during the school day.  The student promptly reported their discovery to staff, who in turn notified police.

Following a joint investigation between the police, school administrators, and school district officials, school administrators are confident they have identified the source of the threat as a student at the school.  The joint investigation has determined that the threat was not credible.  School staff will be handling the resolution of the incident internally as an administrative matter.  No additional information on the identity of the involved student will be released.

Officers were on site at the school throughout the day until the incident was resolved.

Police praise the student who initially came forward to report what they had seen, as well as other students who cooperated and assisted with the ensuing investigation.  The actions of all these students are consistent with the common mantra of “If you see something, say something,” and directly contributed to maintaining a safe environment at the school for their classmates and staff alike.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call 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.