St. Vincent de Paul High School in Petaluma resumes classes after students get messages referencing school shooting

St. Vincent de Paul High School in Petaluma resumed classes Friday morning, a day after school was canceled because two students reported they were sent Snapchat photos containing images of guns and references to a school shooting.

The first student to receive the message reported the incident to a teacher, according to an email sent to parents Wednesday night by the school’s principal, Patrick Daly. Screenshots of the photos were immediately sent to the Petaluma Police Department.

After police conducted a phone interview with the student, a second student received the same message. That prompted administrators to cancel classes Thursday.

“The safety of your children is primary ... We will side with caution in the safety and welfare of our students, faculty and staff,” Daly wrote in the email.

According to Petaluma police Lt. Tim Lyons, the students saw the post when another account added them. There was a photo of guns and references to a school shooting, but nothing related to Petaluma or a specific school.

The post came from an unknown account that has since been deactivated by the user.

Specific details regarding the message were not released.

According to Lyons, after students left campus Thursday, police surveyed St. Vincent as a precaution. The department has remained in contact with administrators at other Petaluma schools to ensure student safety, though police said they are not overly concerned.

“We don’t think it’s a credible (threat) because it was an anonymous person and they didn’t mention Petaluma at all,” Lyons said in interview Thursday afternoon.

At approximately 8 p.m. Wednesday, the Petaluma Police Department got a call from the high school informing them of the messages and the administration’s decision to cancel school the following day.

Local police forwarded the case to its investigations unit, which issued Snapchat a search warrant in an attempt to find the user’s account. A Snapchat account is held for up to 90 days after it’s deactivated, according to Daly’s email to parents.

Petaluma City Schools, the city’s largest district, did not cancel classes Thursday but sent out a notification to its students’ parents informing them of the situation at St. Vincent, a private Catholic institution.

“At this time, we have not received any reports from Petaluma City School students regarding such images or messages. Out of an abundance of caution, we have been in communication with the Petaluma Police Department, who advised us that there is no threat to Petaluma City Schools,” Petaluma City Schools Superintendent Matthew Harris wrote in a Parent Square post.

Police said they would continue to patrol St. Vincent’s campus Friday and next week. Counselors were also made available for students Friday morning, Daly said.

Contact the reporter Rebecca Wolff at rebecca.wolff@sonomanews.com.