San Mateo schools on alert after threatening Snapchat post

San Mateo police were investigating a report of a Snapchat post about potential school violence Friday morning.

Late Thursday night, the San Mateo Union High School District reported a post on the social media platform Snapchat that indicated “a possible threat of school violence,” according to a statement from San Mateo High School officials. School administrators also stated that the post appeared to be reposted content coming from outside the school district.

San Mateo police said that there would be youth service officers at the schools Friday and more officers would be patrolling around the schools. San Mateo Union High School District schools remained open and operating normally as of Friday morning.

A San Mateo police spokesman said that several schools in San Jose and the Central Valley were also notified of the same Snapchat post.

San Jose police posted on the social media platform X that they have received multiple reports of threats against schools that have been spreading on social media both locally and nationally. They stated that they are “actively investigating these incidents” and coordinating with school officials to ensure school safety.

San Mateo High School and the San Mateo Union High School District stated that they “take all threats seriously” and “use the appropriate response to any threat given the facts and evidence related to the threat.” Students in the school district who make threats to school safety may be arrested, suspended or expelled.