Students at Meadowdale H.S. received an earlier-than-usual wake up call on Friday, April 13. The district had called at 4:30 a.m. to report that classes were canceled because police had uncovered a gun threat against students.

On an online forum, someone claiming to be a Meadowdale student had reportedly threatened to bring a gun to school and shoot people. As of April 24, police are still investigating. A Lynnwood Police Department public information officer did not reply to The Hawkeye’s request for comment.

Once Meadowdale students heard about the threat and the resulting school closure, many rumors started to swirl about the identity of the culprit. There was an air of uncertainty.

“I think the person who said it was genuinely sad and was probably just trying to get attention,” Meadowdale sophomore Polly Miller said. “I think it was someone who was severely depressed and it was someone who was planning this for a while.”

Students returned to school on Monday, April 16, they were met with a presence by police and a somewhat somber tone by fellow students and their teachers.

“It was weird with all the cops there [on Monday],” Meadowdale sophomore Tea Nikolic said. “Some people were calm but others were freaking out. A lot of people stayed home too.”

“We will have police at MDHS campus today and law enforcement is working to track down the IP address,” Meadowdale principal Dale Cote said in an announcement on April 16 to students. “We all share a concern for student and staff safety.”

The threat sparked reactions and concern from MTHS students too.

“I heard it through email that school was closed for that day,” MTHS sophomore Joscelyn Princesa said. “Just to be safe, they were looking out for student safety [in closing school for a day] and I think they took the right steps in order to do that.”

Some Meadowdale parents and students wondered why school wasn’t closed longer since someone could still try to act on the threat.

“Knowing what we have been told by police, our superintendent cannot justify a prolonged closure of MDHS,” Cote said.

“The actions of one can impact thousands of people. I believe Meadowdale is still a safe place,” Cote added.