Parents angry arrested student is back in district at different school

CONCORD, Calif. (KTVU) - Angry parents greeted leaders of Mount Diablo School District at a board meeting Monday night. 

They're upset that a student arrested in June for making terrorist threats was placed in a different middle school in the same district. 

"I'm concerned about that child. I'm concerned about my children and the question becomes do I have to pull them from Sequoia?" said one parent. 

That mother's reaction was concern over a 13-year-old eighth grader who is back in school in the  district..

The subject wasn't on the agenda of the Monday night meeting, but it didn't stop parents from lining up for public comments.

The anger stems from an incident in June where a 13-year-old student at Valley View Middle School made a threat on SnapChat promising to kill 30 students on the last day of class on the anniversary of the Columbine massacre.

Alea Koul,a sixth grader at Sequoia Middle School, joined her parents at the board meeting.

" I just know that he made the threat on SnapChat at Valley View", she said.

The thirteen year old who cannot be named because he is a minor was also accused of posting a homophobic message on SnapChat and police found firearms and ammunition at his Martinez home.

Concerned parent Kim Childers says the threat was viable and her own children are scared. After an investigation which included the FBI, the child was booked into Contra Costa Juvenile hall for making terrorist threats but he DA declined to charge.

The school district later enrolled the teen into Sequoia Middle School in the same district.

Another parent Gina Arino questioned the decision. 

"I'm wondering how he was able to get into Sequoia Middle School, like it was mentioned earlier it is a very tough school to get into we all went through the process. It's almost like he's being rewarded for making this threat." 

Superintendent Nellie Meyer said in a partial statement. "Without substantial evidence of a viable threat a student may not be excluded from this District. We appreciate the partnership of these important public safety agencies and trust their decisions and recommendations when assessing threats against our schools."

A petition lead by Kim Childers has gained over 1,300 supporters and is closing in on 2,000 signatures to have the student removed from Sequoia. 

Many parents are demanding the teen needs more time and should be enrolled in homeschool or an alternative school away from students familiar to him in the district.

Childers pulled her own kids out of school saying, "I can not in clear conscience send my son to school with a student sitting next to him who threatened to kill 30 students just 11 weeks ago".

Some parents also lashed out at others arguing they don't have all facts and shouldn't be so quick to judge the 13-year-old.

Those behind the petition hope the school board will have the issue on the agenda for the next meeting September 12.