Santa Ana’s Mater Dei High, closed due to threat, will reopen with additional security

A day after a threat by a former faculty member led Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana to announce a closure through the rest of the week, officials said Wednesday that the campus will reopen with additional security personnel and safety protocols.

All offices on campus will open Thursday for “everyone involved in the areas of counseling, athletics, campus ministry, the business office, activities, advancement and deans from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.,” according to a statement by school President Michael Brennan and Principal Frances Clare.

A flex day is planned Friday for all teaching faculty and students, Brennan and Clare said. Any student who needs to meet with a teacher, counselor or other school personnel to make up work or take tests or for other reasons should do so.

Students are asked to email their teacher if they need to meet, according to the statement.

With students slated to return to campus to take final exams beginning Monday, campus officials have implemented several security policies and procedures.

Additional security staff will be on hand, Brennan and Clare said. Santa Ana police will increase patrols in the area and may be on campus.

The following protocols already in place will be strictly enforced, according to the statement: All students must wear their Mater Dei uniform and school identification and must be checked by school security as they enter campus.

California

Feds say Oklahoma man threatened repeatedly to bomb, shoot students at L.A. schools

A man who grew up in L.A. and allegedly harbored a grudge against schools that didn’t accept him was arrested and faces federal charges.

June 1, 2022

All classroom doors will be closed and locked during exams, and the entrance gate on Bristol Street will be closed, opening only for vendors, according to the statement. The gate at Monarch Way will be closed “at different times throughout the day.”

“All visitors will continue to go through the Raptor check point with security as they enter the campus throughout the school day,” Brennan and Clare said.

The school administrators said Santa Ana police have determined the threat has been dealt with “according to appropriate law enforcement procedures.”

Investigators determined that the threat did not constitute a criminal act, said Sgt. Maria Lopez, a police spokesperson. No arrest has been made or charges filed.

“While these few days have been difficult for all members of the community, know that all educators are here to ensure the safety and well-being of our students,” Brennan and Clare said.