Police investigating online threats against Riverside high school

The Riverside Police Department is investigating social media posts threatening violence at Riverside Polytechnic High School.

While the threats have not been substantiated, police are working with the school administration and district to investigate, the department wrote in an Instagram post.

“We will again have extra officers and patrols in and around Poly High School this Monday to continue those ongoing efforts of maintaining the safety of students and staff,” it said.

The threats followed “some fights during or near lunch hour” last week at the school, according to a letter posted on Instagram Saturday by Riverside Unified School District Supt. Renee Hill and school Principal Darel Hansen. “To ensure the continued safety and well-being of our school community, additional support will be provided to Poly High School next week.”

The school administration, they wrote, is “implementing a plan to restrict lunch activities to designated areas on campus” in order to “improve supervision and mitigate potential disruptions.” The restrictions may be extended to other parts of the day.

They asked families to avoid sharing posts and emails with “secondhand information” that could delay the police department’s investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to forward it to Officer Benjamin Rodriguez at BRodriguez@RiversideCA.gov.