The author of recent threatening social media posts against several Desert Hot Springs schools has been identified as a juvenile, according to the superintendent.
School officials said the person, who wasn't further identified, will face "severe" consequences.
The threats were made Wednesday evening, and three separate posts on Instagram from the same account seemed to reference schools in the city. One showed a picture of guns on the floor of a room and mentioned "DSMS," apparently referring to Desert Springs Middle School. Another referred to "PHMS" and "DHSHS," apparently meaning Painted Hills Middle School and Desert Hot Springs High School, according to Desert Sun reporting.
Desert Hot Springs police investigated the threats, which were deemed not credible. There was also a heavier officer presence on campuses Thursday and Friday.
Superintendent Marcus Funchess of the Palm Springs Unified School District said in a statement late Friday that police and security presence around Desert Hot Springs schools will continue in the upcoming days.
"We are grateful to our law enforcement partners and district security team for their dedication and commitment to keeping our scholars and staff safe and working together to bring this incident to resolution," Funchess said. "We also want you to know that PSUSD has a zero tolerance for behavior that threatens the safety of our scholars, and the person(s) responsible for this incident will face the most severe disciplinary and legal consequences allowed."
Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.