Students may return after ‘threat of violence’ shuts down Tam Union high schools

UPDATE: Tamalpais Union High School District students and staff can return to school for activities and sporting events after campuses were found safe following an unspecified “threat of violence” early today, Sept. 13.

Erin Armstrong, the executive assistant to district Superintendent Tara Taupier, said Central Marin Police Authority and Mill Valley Police Department swept through the district’s campuses and found no threats.

“Our safety protocols were effective, and we appreciate the cooperation of our staff, students and families,” Armstrong said in a statement.

Students and staff were allowed to return after 2 p.m.

Original story:

All schools in the Tamalpais Union High School District — including Redwood High School in Larkspur, which serves Tiburon Peninsula students — were closed today, Sept. 13, following early morning threats to the district.

Staff received “a threat of violence” via text about 7:30 a.m., according to a statement from district Superintendent Tara Taupier.

No specific school of the district’s five high schools was specifically named, and officials did not confirm whether it was a bomb threat, as reported by other media agencies and on social media.

Parents and guardians received an alert from Taupier at 8:17 a.m. on district-communications platform ParentSquare, telling students to stay home or go home if on campus or on the way to school.

“Consistent with established safety protocols, school administration immediately evacuated all buildings on all five district campuses and contacted local law enforcement to secure all sites, investigate the credibility of the threat and to consult regarding next steps in order to ensure the safety of our entire school community,” Taupier wrote in a statement provided to The Ark.

Erin Armstrong, Taupier’s executive assistant at the district, said no further information was available.

A spokesperson for the Central Marin Police Authority, which covers Redwood High, said they were “diligently” working on examining the threat and would release more information as it became available.

Mill Valley Police Department officials were not immediately available for comment.

Keith Woodard, the executive assistant to Reed Union School District Superintendent Kimberly McGrath, said all schools in the district were open and operating regular schedules.

Reach Tiburon reporter Francisco Martinez at 415-944-4634.