[UPDATE: Resolved] Anonymous Threat Prompts Closure of All Willits School Campuses Including Mendocino College

Stock image

Families in Willits reported receiving alerts this morning stating that an anonymous threat had been made toward local schools. Posts on social media show messages from the Willits Unified School District and area charter schools forbidding anyone from entering school campuses while authorities investigate.

One of the messages. This one signed by John Baker, Superintendent of Willits Unified School District.

Screenshots shared with Redheaded Blackbelt show messages sent out Saturday by Willits Unified School District, Willits Charter School, and Willits Elementary Charter School. Each alert stated that the district had “received an anonymous threat directed towards Willits schools” and that no one would be permitted on any school campus until further notice.

The messages described the action as precautionary and said the district was working with law enforcement to determine the credibility of the threat.

The Mendocino College center in the 300 block of Commercial Street in Willits also was cleared out late Saturday morning.

Mendocino College student Jannie Longcrier said her psychology class was underway when the situation unfolded.

“We were in psychology… and the teacher gave us a break,” she said. “I had looked at my phone and saw… on the Facebook page, there was a threat to the school system in Willits.”

She said she stepped out briefly and saw staff beginning to secure the building.

“The secretary was locking the door,” Longcrier explained. After speaking with the instructor, she said that staff informed the class that the campus would close.

According to Longcrier, this happened at 11 a.m. Saturday. “[A staff member] just came in and said that we would like to shut down just out of precaution,” she told us. She said that the staff was calm and didn’t appear to be unduly frightened. “They were… not in hysteria or anything,” she explained

Redheaded Blackbelt has reached out to Willits Police for confirmation and clarification on when the campus will reopen and other details.

Please remember that information gathered from initial reports is subject to revision as more facts become available.

UPDATE: Readers are reporting that they received information from the schools that the threat is “resolved.” Here is one message from Willits Unified School District.