September 23, 2016 | Issue 1, Volume 5

Page 1

Music Piracy

Blond

Self-Care see page 5...

see pages 6 & 7...

Holes in Schedules

see page 10...

see page 4...

Fremont High School

the

PHOENIX

Vol. 5 Issue No. 1 sept. 23, 2016

Threats made against FUHSD students

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a_nonymous

Photos courtesy of NBC Bay Area and Instagram

0 likes by Maggie Bernauer, Emmanuel Ramirez & Emily Wright Collaboration

A Fremont High School student, age 17, was arrested Labor Day weekend for Hate Crime and Criminal Threat. The incident occurred over that weekend, causing havoc amongst many in the Fremont Union High School District community. Threats and fear circulated the Fremont and Homestead campuses. Students from both Homestead and Fremont were tagged in photos through anonymous Insta-

gram accounts that specifically threatened violence against Jewish students, as well as other groups. Students and their parents alerted the school administration and authorities over the weekend. “Fremont then started the process of working with the District Office, Homestead and the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety,” Bryan Emmert, FHS principal, said. “We were just trying to figure out who it was, what was going on and how valid were any of the statements on Instagram.” Based on the threats

made, the police must undergo a process of verification. “To ensure they are valid, we first make sure if the statement is true or false,” Shawn Ahear, a SDPS Captain, said. “And then, second, we determine if they have resources [to carry out the threat].” An investigation with the SDPS started quickly after the threats were made over the weekend. According to Emmert, despite a police presence on campus Tuesday Sept. 6, around 200 students were absent. As the case closed and more information was released,

students began to return to school as normal with only around 20 students absent on Wednesday of that week. Parents of students were alerted about the arrest via Schoolloop by Emmert. However, not all students were aware of the issue at the beginning of school on Tuesday because not all parents currently have a Schoolloop account to receive notifications from the school. But students were not contacted directly. “Not everyone is on Schoolloop; there were a lot of people who just didn’t have the information and they were scared,” Emmert said, “We always think about how we should go about our notification, and notifying students is something we will definitely do if there is a next time.” Students were instrumental in the case because

they alerted the authorities. “When students see something like this [threat] . . . if they feel comfortable [enough] to show [it] to their parents and bring it forth to the school [it’s a positive thing for students to do],” Ahear said. “A threat to one student is a threat to everyone. [This investigation] started because someone cared enough to bring the issue forward.” The police’s job was significantly helped by the contribution of those who spoke up, such as Omri Sokol. “It was a really weird photo [on Instagram],” sophomore, Sokol, said. “It was scary. I told my family; they called the police.” The SPDS also has several tips on how to stay safe and protect yourself online. “Be careful what personal information you put

out there because it’s very easy for people to identify one another online,” Ahear said “There’s no such thing as privacy on social media.” In light of the events, a Community Conversation was planned for Sept. 19 for the community to participate in a conversation about how to stay safe online and having social media responsibility. “The nineteenth is a community conversation that we’re doing with a couple partners such as Sunnyvale Public Safety, the district’s attorney, [and] a representative from a social media company,” Communication coordinator, Rachel Zlotziver said. If students are concerned about any of these issues or if any other situation occurs, Administration and the Guidance counselors are always available.


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